Unexpected Attraction (Unexpected Series: Book One)
by Hero Is My King
Summary: He knew from the moment he saw her, he had to have her. When reality sets in about the family ties she has, will Enzo pursue the woman of his dreams? Or will she make sure her walls never come down?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I own no one in this story but Raelynn. Cori belongs to a friend and the rest belong to the WWE. Please read and review to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

"I swear if one more asshole tries to hit on us I'm going to break his fucking jaw." Raelynn Gallows growled, glaring at the men in the hotel bar.

"Oh come on Rae! It was one guy and I think you sufficiently scared him off after threatening to cut his dick off." Her best friend Cori Anderson said, shaking her head. "You seriously need to get laid."

"What?! What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean that everytime you go without for a length of time you turn into a raging bitch. What's the matter? Sheamus not putting out anymore?"

"Fuck you. I don't turn into a bitch...I just get tired of idiots thinking they can get any woman they want just by looking at them. And for your information Sheamus and I have an understanding...we fuck when the need arises."

"Nice Rae...real nice. Oh look! Here comes Enzo and Cass." Cori straightened up and smiled as the two men entered the bar.

Enzo and Cass entered the bar, a big smile on Enzo's face. "I'm telling you man, I got a good feeling about this."

"Zo it's a _hotel bar_ how many hot chicks do you honestly think will be in here?" Cass asked, rolling his eyes.

"Two."

"What?"

"Look over that way man, two hotties sitting at the back corner table. Told you this was gonna be our lucky night." Enzo said, motioning to the table with a smirk.

"Damn." Cass whispered, his eyes immediately drawn to the one with long brown hair and he smiled when she turned to look over in their direction. "Okay...so maybe you were right."

"As usual. Now if you'll excuse me." Enzo strutted off, making his way over to the two women before Cass could stop him.

"Oh great, here we go." Raelynn mumbled, drinking down her shot of Whiskey.

"Be nice!" Cori hissed at her friend.

"I'm always nice."

"Bullshit."

"Good evening ladies." Enzo greeted them, sitting down across from Raelynn.

"Why don't you have a seat." Raelynn growled, glaring at him.

"Rae!"

"So your name is Rae huh? Well baby, mine is Enzo and this big guy here is Cass." Enzo stated, pointing to the other man as he walked up to the table.

"I really don't give a damn what your name is and don't call me baby."

"Are we bothering you guys? We can go to another table if we are." Cass stated, looking at Cori who shook her head.

"You're not bothering us at all. Rae is just being her normally cheerful self. I'm Cori by the way."

"Nice to meet you Cori. I'm…"

"We know who you are. It's nice to meet you both." Cori smiled at Cass and finished the last of her beer.

"Nice to meet you ladies too. Would you like another beer? Enzo and I will get it for you guys."

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Come on Zo." Cass stood up and dragged Enzo towards the bar before he had the chance to protest.

"Rae…"

"Save it Cori. I'm going up to our room." Rae stood up and cried out in surprise when Cori pulled her back down in her chair. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Don't go, please! I want to spend some time talking to Cass but if you leave we won't be able to talk because of Enzo. Stay for a little while, please?" Cori pouted a little and Rae rolled her eyes.

"Fine but you owe me for having to put up with that jackass."

"Thank you so much Rae!"

"Yeah, yeah. Why do I always get stuck with the idiots?" Rae questioned, watching as Enzo and Cass made their way back to the table.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day at the arena Luke and Karl were getting ready for their match while Cori and Rae sat with them.

"So, what did you guys do last night?" Karl asked and Cori quickly glanced over at Rae, silently pleading with her not to say anything about Cass or Enzo.

"Not much of anything. Rae and I just decided to have a couple of drinks in the hotel bar then we went up to our rooms to sleep."

"Anybody bother you?" Luke asked, glancing at his sister.

"No, not at all." Rae lied, hoping he believed her. Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket, her heart dropping when she saw who was calling. "Excuse me." She got up and walked out of the locker room before anyone could say anything. "What the hell are you calling me for?"

"Nice way to answer your phone Lynn." Her ex replied and she sighed.

"What do you want Tama?"

"I found a couple of your things when I went through some boxes the other day. Just thought you might want them."

"What are they?"

"That old sweatshirt you used to wear all the time and a few photos of you and Luke." He answered and she rolled her eyes.

"That sweatshirt was one of your old ones and as for the pictures...just throw it all out. I'm sure Luke has the same pictures so I can just get copies of them."

"You don't want to come get them?" Tama asked and Rae could tell from the tone of his voice that he was disappointed.

"No Tama, I really don't."

"You're still angry with me then."

"What was your first clue?" Rae snapped before taking a deep breath. "Look Tama...anything else of mine that you find just throw away and don't call me again." She hung up the phone before he could say anything else and she slid against the wall to the floor, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey baby, fancy seeing you here." A familiar voice spoke up and Rae dropped her head back against the wall with a slight thud before turning to look at Enzo.

"I told you last night not to call me baby you jackass. Go away and leave me the hell alone."

"Now that's no way to talk." Enzo smirked and sat down on the floor beside her. "Who put tears in those pretty eyes of yours baby?" He reached out and wiped one away as it fell down her cheek and his smile grew wider when she jerked away from him.

"Don't fucking touch me! It's none of your business so just leave me alone."

"Now see, I can't do that cause whenever I see a beautiful woman cry I make it…"

"Amore get the fuck away from my sister!" Luke growled, jerking Enzo up by his shirt. "What the hell did you do to her?!"

"Nothing man! Shit, I didn't even know she was your sister!"

Rae sighed and knew she would probably end up regretting what she was about to do but she didn't want to see her brother get into trouble. She stood up and placed her hand on Luke's arm causing him to glance over at her. "He had nothing to do with it Luke. Tama called...Enzo was just asking if I was alright."

"Shit." Luke muttered, letting go of Enzo with a hard shove. "Get out of here and stay the hell away from my sister asshole." He waited until Enzo disappeared down the hall before turning his attention back to Rae. "What did Tama want?"

"He found an old sweatshirt of his that I used to wear a lot as well as some pictures of you and me so he called to see if I was going to come get them."

"What did you tell him?"

"To throw it and whatever else of mine he finds away. The sweatshirt was his anyway and whatever pictures there were, I'm sure you have copies somewhere." Rae replied, tears forming in her eyes again as Luke pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry sis."

"Nothing for you to apologize for. He was the one that screwed up, not you."

Enzo growled and kicked the trash can across the room. "Fuck!"

"Zo what the hell? Calm down man!" Cass exclaimed, dodging the trash can as it missed his legs by inches.

"Sorry man! You remember that hot chick from the bar last night?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's here today and it turns out she's Gallows sister!" Enzo dropped down on the couch and ran his hands over his face.

"Shit! What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do nothin'! I saw her in the hall sittin' on the floor cryin' so I tried to do the gentlemanly thing and check on her. Next thing I knew he was haulin' me up by my shirt and tellin' me to stay away from her!"

"Gallows' sister...shit, I didn't see that one comin' at all."

"That makes two of us. Damn!" Enzo, groaned and he let his head fall back on the couch. "Just my luck."

"Oh, hell…"

"What?" Enzo raised his head and saw the worried expression on Cass' face. "What is it man?"

"If she's his sister...you don't think Cori is too do ya?"

"Shit, I don't know but you best be findin' out cause if she is? You might as well give up cause you won't stand a chance."

Cori's phone chimed and she smiled when she saw it was a text from Cass.

' _Got a minute? I wanna ask you somethin'.'_

Her stomach did a little flip and she looked up to make sure her brother hadn't noticed anything. ' _Sure. What is it?'_

' _Zo just found out about Rae bein' Gallows' sister. You ain't his sister too are ya?'_

"Shit!" Cori cursed, staring down at her phone in dread.

"Something wrong sis?" Karl asked and her head snapped up in surprise.

"No! I mean no...there's nothing wrong." She looked down at her phone and debated lying to Cass but after talking to him the night before, she didn't want to start things out with a lie. ' _No, I'm not his sister but…'_

' _But what?'_

She thought again about lying to him but couldn't bring herself to do it. ' _But Karl Anderson is my brother.'_

"Oh damn." Cass muttered, staring down at his phone in disbelief.

"What? What did she say?"

"She's not his sister."

"What's the problem then? That's a good thing ain't it?" Enzo asked, looking at him in confusion.

"She ain't his sister but she is Anderson's sister."

"Shit man, we're both fucked then."

Cass looked up from his phone and shook his head. "I don't know about you Zo but I ain't givin' up. Anderson's sister or not...that girl is gonna be mine."

Enzo smiled and stood up. "It ain't gonna be easy but I'm with ya man."

"What are you talkin' about? Rae can't stand you Zo."

"The game is just startin' my friend. By the time I'm through...ain't no way that girl will be able to resist me." Enzo told him, a plan already forming in his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Rae and Cori sat in the diner eating lunch when Rae noticed the sad look on her friend's face. "Cori come on, you've been pouting over this thing for days now! You've got to let it go and move on."

The door to the diner opened and Cori glared at the two men who just walked in. "Shit."

"What?" Rae asked, turning to see what she was looking at. "Oh, just wonderful!" She muttered, rolling her eyes as Enzo and Cass made their way towards them.

"Well, whatta we got over here?" Enzo sat down beside Rae and put his arm over the back of her chair. "How ya doin' baby?"

"Real original jackass. I suggest you move that arm before I rip it off and shove it up your ass."

"Cori…" Cass started to say as he sat down.

"Save it Cass cause I don't want to fucking hear a damn thing you have to say." Cori snapped and Rae stared at her friend in shock.

Cass winced and sighed. "Okay, I suppose I deserved that."

"And a hell of a lot more! I thought about lying to you Cass but I decided it was better to be honest with you and what do I get for it? You don't text me back and you ignore every one of my fucking phone calls!" Cori shouted causing other people in the diner to turn and look their way.

Rae saw the sadness on Cass' face and was surprised by the fact that she actually felt sorry for the guy. "Cori take it easy."

"Take it easy?! You're the one that can't stand either of them and now you're taking his side? Fuck you too Rae!" Cori knocked her chair over as she jumped up to her feet and stormed out of the restaurant.

"Cass…"

"It's okay Rae...I probably did deserve all that."

"No you didn't. She's just pissed because she thought you were different."

"I am though. The only reason I didn't get back to her was because I wanted to talk to her about this face to face instead of over the phone."

"Go talk to her and tell her that. She most likely went back to the hotel. Our room is 435." Rae told him and he smiled with relief.

"Thanks Rae."

Rae watched him walk out of the diner before turning back to Enzo. "Aren't you going with him?"

"Nah, I'm happy right here with you." Enzo replied, snatching a strip of bacon off her plate.

Cass walked up to the door of Cori's hotel room and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Rae did you forget…" She stopped talking and glared up at Cass. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you find my room?"

"Rae told me."

"Damn her! What do you want Cass?"

"To talk to you. Please Cori?" He pleaded with her and she sighed.

"Fine...come in." Cori stepped back and held the door open while he walked in then she shut it behind him. "Start talking."

"Look...the only reason I didn't get back with you was because I wanted to talk to you about this face to face. The fact that Karl is your brother doesn't make a difference to me. Iiked talking to you the other night and I'd like to get to know more about you." Cass told her and she stared at him, trying to figure out whether he was lying or not.

"It won't be that easy Cass. My brother despises you guys and if he finds out we're hanging out together...well, he'll make Luke's reaction to finding Enzo hanging around Rae look like child's play."

"I don't care Cori but if you're worried about it then why don't we talk to him? I'll tell him that there's nothing for him to get so worked up about."

Cori laughed and shook her head. "I appreciate the offer but why don't we wait until when and if there's something to actually tell him." She smiled at him as he stood up.

"You mean something like this?" Cass grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her feet. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up off her feet, cutting off her squeal of surprise by covering her lips with his.

"So what are we doing today baby?" Enzo asked and Rae glared at him.

"I…"

"Rae can we talk?" Roman Reigns spoke up and Rae turned to look at him, knowing right away what he wanted to talk about.

"Not now Roman."

"Yes...now. What the fuck were you thinking treating him that way?!"

" _Treating him that way_? What about the way he treated me Roman? Did you forget about that?"

"Oh, get over it Rae! You…"

"Hey, how 'bout you watch the way you talk to the lady huh?" Enzo spoke up and Roman glared at him.

"Mind your own business Amore. This has nothing to do with you."

"I'm makin' it my business Reigns. You don't need to be talkin' to her like that."

Roman growled and made a move towards Enzo before remembering where he was. "I'll talk to you about this later Rae." He turned and stormed out of the restaurant as Rae sighed and slumped back in her chair.

"Wanna tell me what that was all about baby?" Enzo whispered and Rae looked over at him.

"Like Roman said...it's none of your business Enzo." She stood up, threw some money on the table and walked out before he could say another word.

"Well, I'm makin' it my business." Enzo vowed, getting up and leaving the restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week since Rae had the confrontation with Roman in the diner and she still couldn't get past the embarrassment she felt when everyone including that idiot Enzo witnessed the whole thing.

"Rae you okay?" Cori asked, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Fine. Just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Roman you mean? Did you tell Luke about it?"

"No and I don't want you to tell him either...please? I'll handle it on my own." Rae stated and Cori nodded.

"Okay, if you're sure. I…" Her words were cut off by her phone chiming and she smiled when she saw who the text was from.

 _'Can you get away and come to my locker room? Zo has something he wants to talk to you about.'_

 _'Sure. Be right there.'_ Cori replied and looked at Rae. "Cass wants me to come to his locker room for a minute. Will you cover for me with Karl?"

"Sure, go ahead." No sooner had she said that and Cori was up and out the door.

Cass laid his phone down and looked at Enzo. "She's on her way. What's this all about? You been actin' strange for the past week."

"You'll find out when she gets here."

There was a knock on the door and Cass opened it, smiling when he saw Cori. "Hey. Come on in." He stepped back and she entered the room.

"Hey girl, how are ya?" Enzo asked, standing up to give her a quick hug.

"Fine, you?"

"I'm good. I got a question for ya."

"Okay...what's up?" She waited until he sat back down and she took a seat beside him.

"What's Reigns' problem with Rae?"

Cori took a deep breath and slowly let it out before sighing. "I had a feeling that's what you wanted to talk to me about. Enzo I wish I could tell you but…it's not my story to tell."

"Fair enough I suppose. Does it have to do with somebody named Tama?" He asked and he could tell by the shocked look on her face that he had guessed right.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Last week when I found her in the hall cryin' and Gallows nearly kicked my ass. She stopped him by tellin' him that it wasn't me who made her cry. That somebody named Tama had called her."

Cori shook her head and frowned. "He's a sorry son of a bitch but again...it's not my story to tell. I would if I could but it's something that she'll have to tell you about if she ever chooses to."

The door to the locker room opened and Rae lifted her head up to see Luke and Karl walk in. _Damn._ "Hey guys."

"Hey sis. Where's Cori?" Luke asked, sitting down beside her.

"She was getting restless so she went for a walk."

"I'm back now though." Cori stepped in and Rae breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Think I'll go for a walk now." Rae said, standing up and stretching.

"Want me to go with you?" Luke questioned and Rae shook her head. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine don't worry." Rae walked out of the locker room and made her way down the hall with no real destination in mind. Her cell phone rang and she rolled her eyes, figuring it was Luke calling to check up on her already. "Luke I told you…"

"It's not your brother Lynn."

She immediately recognized Tama's voice and stopped walking. "What the hell are you calling me again for?"

"Calm down Lynn. I found that locket that your mom gave you. Do you want to come get it or what?"

"Really Tama? You found it?" Rae asked, looking down at the very locket he was talking about.

"Yeah. I…"

"You're a lying piece of shit Tama! I'm wearing that very necklace right now so explain to me how could you possibly have it?!"

"Lynn, I…"

"I don't want to hear it! I'm going to tell you one last time...don't fucking call me again!" She hung up the phone, her whole body shaking with anger and tears flowing from her eyes.

"Baby?" Enzo spoke up from behind her and she quickly wiped the tears away.

"Enzo please...go away." Rae whispered as sobs racked her body.

"Hey now...come here baby." He grabbed her arm and spun her around, fully expecting her to haul off and hit him. Instead he was surprised when she launched herself into his arms and buried her face against his chest as she sobbed. "Here now. You stop that cryin' baby...you're too beautiful to be cryin'."

As if suddenly realizing what she was doing, Rae pulled away from him and stared at him in shock. "Enzo I…"

"Hey now, don't start pullin' away from me or thinkin' of apologizin' for showin' emotion. You were upset about somethin' and you needed someone to comfort you…I just happened to be the one around to do it. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked and Rae shook her head immediately.

"No, I…" She could see the hurt in his eyes and felt something in her chest. The feeling was something she hadn't felt in a long time, like something in her was breaking apart and opening up. The feeling shocked her, especially due to the fact that it happened with Enzo Amore of all people. "Is there somewhere we could talk in private?" The questioned surprised both Enzo and her but he quickly recovered and smiled.

"Come on, I'm sure we can find a place." He took her hand and they made their way down the hall until he spotted a door open and the room was empty. "This will work, come on baby." Enzo pulled her towards the room but stopped when he felt her hesitation. "Rae…you're gonna have to talk to someone about this eventually and I'm here willing to listen. I know you may not like me very well but I intend to change that and I'm gonna start by showin' you that you can trust me. I won't tell anyone anything that you tell me, it'll stay between us."

Rae took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." She agreed and followed him into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Now talk to me baby…tell me what's hurtin' you so much."

"I don't even know where to start Enzo, the whole situation is so fucked up and so embarrassing."

"You have nothin' to be embarrassed about around me, I'm not gonna judge you." Enzo told her and she let out a humorless chuckle.

"You say that now but you haven't heard anything. You haven't heard about how fucking stupid I was."

"There's no way you could ever tell me anything that would make me think you're stupid."

Really looking at him for the first time since they entered the room, she knew he was right about having to talk to someone about the whole situation but she just found it difficult to talk to _him_ about it. "When my brother and Karl were in Japan wrestling in the Bullet Club, Cori and I often travelled with them. I met Tama there…he was part of the Club and I was immediately drawn to him." She stopped and looked at him, smiling sadly. "Are you sure you want to hear about this?"

"Yeah. Now go on and finish your story."

"Alright I guess. Tama and I started dating not long after we met and it quickly got serious…or it did for _me_ at least. We had been dating for almost a year when while back in the states I received a text from him telling me that he'd been thinking about our relationship for a while now and he decided that he couldn't risk his friendship with Luke if something went wrong with us so he was breaking things off with me before it was too late."

"Oh, baby…" Enzo sighed, the urge to pull her in his arms was so strong but he resisted because he feared that if he did she would pull away from him and shut down.

"I didn't know what to do…I couldn't just accept the fact that he was ending things for that reason and especially through a fucking text so I caught the next flight to Japan. I found him in the apartment we shared while we were there and…" A sob broke through, tears falling from her eyes. "And he had another woman there. I didn't exactly catch them in bed together but had I been any later I would have. He acted like it was no big deal and wanted to know if I was there to pick up my things. I lost it and just ran from the apartment, I didn't know what else to do. Luke and Karl were working a show that night so I went to the arena and found them. I ended up telling Luke everything and he just went batshit crazy. Luke tore into Tama that night and ended up getting suspended for two weeks because of it. I felt horrible about that but he kept telling me that it wasn't my fault even though I never believed him. He got my things from the apartment for me and I haven't been back to Japan ever since." The words just spilled out of her, it seemed as though she couldn't stop or control them but the minute she was done she felt as if though a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. "There. Now you know the whole story and just how fucking stupid I was for believing him when he told me that he loved me."

Unable to resist the urge any longer, Enzo grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "You weren't stupid baby, you were in love. As much as I can't stand the guy…your brother was right. None of that was your fault, it was all on him. He was the stupid one for throwing away what he had with you for such a dumbass reason." He heard Rae's muffled laughter against his chest and he smiled. "There's one thing I gotta know though…"

Rae pulled back and looked up into his eyes. "What is it?"

"What's Reigns' involvement in all this?"

"Tama is his cousin. Roman's pissed about the fact that even though Tama broke up with me to save his friendship with my brother…Luke and Karl both hate him and won't have a thing to do with him now. No one in the Bullet Club except for Tama's brother will have anything to do with him once the shows are over because they don't like him for what he did to me." Rae explained and Enzo nodded.

"I get it now and Rae? Thanks for giving me a chance and trusting me enough to tell me about this."

"You were right…I had to tell someone about it. Talking to Cori about it is easy because she's my friend and no matter what, she'll be on my side. Same goes with Luke or Karl so it was nice to have someone listen that had an outside opinion."

"Well, anytime you want to talk I'll be here for you baby."

Before either of them could say anything else Rae's phone chimed with a text. She pulled it out of her pocket and groaned when she saw it was from Luke. "Shit."

 _'Where the hell are you? I been looking all over this arena for you.'_

 _'Just walking around. I'm on my way back now so I'll be there in a minute.'_ Rae replied and looked at Enzo. "I gotta go. That was Luke and he's been looking everywhere for me."

"No problem but you just remember what I said…I'm here for you anytime you wanna talk baby." He watched her as she walked out of the room and he couldn't stop smiling because he knew now that he had finally started to break through her walls and he knew it was only a matter of time before she was his.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Kind of a short chapter compared to the last one but this one is leading up to something which I'm sure you'll be able to tell after reading this chapter. As always hope you enjoy and please review!

Cori watched as Rae threw her head back and laughed at the current episode of The Big Bang Theory that they were watching. She could see over the past couple of weeks that something was different about her best friend.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Rae asked, glancing over at Cori.

"Trying to figure out if aliens have taken over your body or something."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're different…happier than I've seen you in a long time. I've noticed it ever since you took that walk at the arena. Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" Cori questioned and Rae sighed.

She reached for the remote and turned the TV down before turning back around to look at Cori. "Tama called me again while I was taking a walk that day."

"What?! Why in the hell haven't you told me this before now?" Cori demanded to know and Rae laughed.

"Because he called me for some dumb bullshit reason."

"What do you mean?"

"He called to tell me that he found the locket that my mom gave me." Rae said, holding up the necklace. "He wanted to know if I was going to come pick it up. So I told him I had it already and called him a lying piece of shit."

"Good for you hun. That's what's made you so much happier than you were though?" Cori asked and Rae shook her head.

"No. Quite the opposite…I ended up breaking down right there in the hallway."

"I don't understand. If it upset you so much...why the change?"

"Someone found me when I was crying. Convinced me to talk to them and tell them why I was hurting so much so I took the chance and did exactly that. It was...therapeutic and I suddenly felt like I didn't have the weight of an elephant on my chest. I felt more normal...more so than I've felt in a long time."

"Who was it?" Cori questioned, curious as hell.

"Enzo Amore."

"Say what now? You wanna repeat that? I don't think I heard you right." Cori said and Rae rolled her eyes.

"You heard me right Cori."

"How in the hell did that come about? You can't stand him!"

"I don't know if I would go that far…" Rae mumbled, a small smile on her face.

"Okay, you better start talking and tell me _exactly_ what happened because not too long ago you couldn't even stand the sight of him!"

Rae sighed and proceeded to tell her friend everything. "So now you know." She said after telling her the whole story.

"Wow! He really likes you Rae. Are you actually going to treat him better now instead of being a total bitch?"

"Hey!" Rae exclaimed, picking up one of the pillows off the couch and throwing it at Cori which made her laugh. "I wasn't that bad...was I?"

"Yeah hun, you actually were. He tried to be nice to you and get to know you but you had a major stick up your ass."

"Damn. I guess I'll have to apologize to him the next time I see him." Rae said then she noticed the look on Cori's face. "What?"

"Well, Karl and Luke are on the road and Cass had the week off so…" She was cut off by the doorbell ringing and Rae looked at her in shock.

"You didn't!"

Without answering her, Cori got up and opened the front door to reveal Cass and Enzo.

"Baby!" Enzo shouted, making a beeline right for Rae who groaned and buried her face in a couch pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

Enzo fell down onto the couch beside Rae and he smiled at her when she lifted her head to look at him. "Did ya miss me baby?"

"Like someone would miss a hole in the head." She replied and stood up. "I'll talk to you about this later Cori...I got things to do." Rae walked out of the room before anyone could say anything and Enzo turned to look at Cori, a confused look on his face.

"Did I say or do somethin' wrong?"

"No. I don't know what her problem is. You guys stay here and make yourselves at home...I'll be right back." Cori followed Rae out of the room and found her standing on the patio nursing a beer. "What the hell Rae?" Cori hissed, stepping out on the patio and shutting the sliding glass door behind her.

"I could ask you the same thing! What the hell were you thinking inviting them here without asking me?!" Rae demanded to know as Cori stared at her in shock. "Oh, don't give me that look!"

"What the fuck? You can't possibly be that pissed about me inviting them here! What's really the problem?"

"I can be that pissed and I am! Why did you let them come here?"

"I wanted to spend some time with Cass away from hotels and arenas! Karl and Luke aren't here so what's the big deal?" Cori questioned, the sudden change in Rae's attitude completely baffling her.

"My problem is that _he_ had to come too!"

"Enzo? So what? You were just saying how much he helped you and…" She stopped, realization suddenly dawning on her. "You're embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? You're so far off it's not even funny!"

"No, I don't think I am. See the way I figure it is that you're embarrassed Enzo saw you at a vulnerable moment and you can't get past that because you hate being perceived to be what you think is weak." Cori could tell by the look on Rae's face that she had hit the nail on the head.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Cori?" Cass spoke up, opening the sliding door and both women looked at him.

"Could you wait inside a minute? We're about done here."

"No problem. I just wanted to let you both know that Enzo left to go back to the hotel."

Cori nodded and turned back to look at Rae once Cass went back into the house. "Happy now?" She asked then sighed. "Look Rae...I know Tama was a complete asshole and I also know how badly he hurt you but you can't go through the rest of your life treating every guy you meet like shit just to keep them from getting too close to you. You're going to get hurt again...probably not the exact same way but it's gonna happen and there's nothing you can do to stop that."

"Yes there is." Rae whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"What? Shut yourself off completely and never let yourself love again? What kind of life is that, really? Enzo may not be the one for you…there may be someone else out there who is but you'll never know unless you open yourself up and let people in again. Think about that for a while hun then decide what you want to do." Cori gave her a hug then made her way back into the house, leaving Rae alone with her thoughts.

Enzo laid on the bed in his hotel room, starting up at the ceiling. He knew logically that he shouldn't let the way Rae had treated him get to him because there was nothing between the two of them but he couldn't help it. Rae had gotten under his skin like no other woman had in a long time and everytime she treated him like shit felt like a knife going through his chest. There was a knock at the door and he sighed as he got up to answer it, figuring Cass had lost his key. "I swear, I'm gonna tie that key…" He stopped, staring in shock at the person who was standing there.

Rae stood there with a sad smile on her face. "Can I come in Enzo?"

His first instinct was to let her in, let her say whatever it was she had come to say but he pushed that aside. "I don't think so baby...now is not a good time." Enzo shut the door and walked back over to lay back down on the bed.

Rae stood in the hallway staring in shock at the door. She couldn't believe he had just turned her away like that. Standing there for a few minutes, she hoped he would come back and let her in. That didn't happen though and she sighed sadly before turning and walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

Karl groaned as Cori's phone chiming woke him up from a nap. He turned over, trying to ignore it but it chimed again causing him to growl. "Cori! Your damn phone…" Karl started to call out but he stopped, shocked to see who it was after he picked it up. There staring back at him from the screen was a picture of Big Cass, the dumb fucker. "What the hell?" He checked to make sure Cori was still in the bathroom with the door closed and opened the text.

' _Able to get away and come see me for a while babe?'_

"Motherfucker! I'll kill him!" The knob of the bathroom door began to turn and he quickly deleted the text before laying the phone back where it was.

"Hey. You finally awake?" Cori asked as she stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel over her wet hair.

"Yeah. Gallows called and wants me to meet him in the gym so I'm gonna go back to my room and change then head down there." He lied, standing up and giving his sister a quick hug. "Thanks for letting me crash on your bed for a while." Karl told her before leaving the hotel room. He spotted Seth Rollins walking towards him and stepped in front of him.

"Whoa! What the hell Anderson?" Seth demanded to know, falling back a step when he saw the look of pure rage on Karl's face.

"What room do Cass and Enzo have?"

"Two floors up...513. Why?"

"None of your fucking business Rollins." Karl made his way to the stairs, not even bothering with the elevator. He took the stairs two at a time and threw the door open to the fifth floor once he reached the landing. The hallway was empty as he made his way to room 513 and he pounded on the door, quickly covering the peephole so no one could see out.

"Damn Cori, I didn't expect…shit!" Cass cried out, stumbling back into the room, his hand flying up to cover his nose. "Anderson what the hell?!"

"You sorry motherfucker!" Karl advanced on Cass but somebody grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Anderson stop! What the hell are you doing?!" Seth yelled, dragging Karl back and stepping in front of him. "What the hell are you thinking man?"

"Stay out of this Rollins, I'm warning you! Cass you stay the hell away from my sister or not even God Himself will be able to stop me from kicking your ass!" Karl vowed, storming out of the room as Seth turned to look at Cass in shock.

"Cori? Really Cass?"

"Shit." Cass muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and holding a towel to his bleeding nose.

Two days later Cori picked her cellphone up and glanced at it for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last hour. She couldn't understand it, she hadn't heard from Cass in two days...no phone call or text. Something was wrong, she knew that without a doubt but she wasn't sure what it was. Deciding to finally do something about it, she texted Rae who was in the gym with Luke. ' _I need your help.'_

' _With what?'_

' _Something is wrong. Cass hasn't called or texted me in two days now.'_

' _What do you want me to do about it?'_

Cori rolled her eyes and glared at her phone. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Damn." She mumbled. ' _Find him for me? Talk to him and see what's going on?'_

' _Why can't you do it?'_

' _Because I'm asking you to do it. Please Rae?'_ Cori hated to beg her friend for anything but she was desperate at this point.

' _Fine. I'll talk to him but you owe me.'_

' _Anytime. All you have to do is ask.'_

Rae sighed as she stood in front of Cass' hotel room, wondering how the hell she had let herself get roped into this. Deciding to get it done and over with, she knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

Cass opened the door more cautiously than he had the last time and he was surprised to see Rae standing there. "Hey. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, come on in." He stepped aside so she could walk in and he noticed she was giving him a funny look. "What?"

"Who did you get into a fight with?" Rae asked and he looked at her in confusion.

"You don't know?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Cori's brother came to my room a couple of days ago and attacked me." Cass told her and her eyes grew wide.

"Shit! So that's why."

"Why what?"

"I came here because Cori asked me to. She wanted me to find out if you were mad at her or something." Rae explained and Cass sighed.

"You mean she doesn't know about this?"

"No. I didn't know about it either...damn, she's gonna kill Karl."

"Shit. The only reason I haven't tried to talk to her is because I figured she knew. I was giving her some space until her brother calmed down." Cass said and Rae nodded.

"I understand and I'll tell her about it. Give me an hour or so before you contact her so I can tell her what's going on."

"No problem. Now that you're here though...there's something I been wanting to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Enzo." He responded and her eyes narrowed.

"With all due respect Cass...whatever is going on with him and me is none of your business."

"See, that's where you're wrong. Zo is my best friend and I don't like to see him get treated like shit...especially by a woman he's beginning to care a hell of a lot for."

"I understand that Cass but there's a lot about me you know nothing about."

"Whatever it is, it's no excuse for you to treat him the way you do."

Rae nodded sadly, a feeling of shame coming over her. "You're right and I know that. All I can tell you is that I'm trying to work through some issues and I feel bad about the way I've treated him. I tried to talk to him about it the other day after you guys came over but he wasn't willing to listen and even though it pissed me off then...I can understand why he didn't want to hear a word I had to say."

"Give him another chance. He was really hurt and confused that day...said he felt like he started to get close to you then you shut him out." Cass stated and Rae nodded.

"He's right, I did shut him out but that's on me. It had nothing to do with him. I'm gonna go talk to Cori now though so give me some time before you call her."

"Will do Rae. Thanks."

"No problem." She walked out of Cass' room and pulled out her cellphone. ' _Meet me in the lobby. There's something you need to know.'_

' _He hates me doesn't he?'_ Came the immediate reply from Cori and Rae rolled her eyes.

' _No. Just meet me in the lobby and I'll explain everything.'_

' _Be right there.'_

Rae made her way down to the lobby and by the time she got there Cori was already there waiting on her.

Cori spotted her and jumped up, racing over to her. "What did he say? What's going on?"

"You're not going to be happy about what I have to tell you at all."

"Well, what is it?!"

"When I got to his room and he answered the door I noticed it looked like he'd been in a fight with someone." Rae said and Cori looked at her in shock.

"A _fight?_ With who? Why?"

"According to Cass somebody showed up at his room the other day and attacked him."

"Who?"

"It was Karl."

Cori was silent for a moment then she growled. "I'm going to kill him!" She took off before Rae could stop her and she wondered if she should warn Karl but quickly decided against it.

There was a pounding on his hotel room door and Karl ran over to open it. "Cori! What the hell are...ahhh shit!" He yelled, covering his face as she slapped him over and over again. "Cori stop! What the fuck are you doing?!"

"You bastard! Why the hell did you attack him?!"

Instantly understanding the problem, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside. "Why the hell is he texting you in the first place?"

"Texting me? What are you talking about?"

"The other day when I crashed in your room and you were in the bathroom your phone kept going off. It was him! Why the hell does he have your number?" Karl demanded to know, ducking as she tried to hit him again. "Knock it off dammit!"

"He texted me and you didn't tell me?!"

"That's not the point! I want to know why the hell he's contacting you in the first place!"

"Not that it's any of your business but Cass and I are friends!" Cori informed him and he laughed. "What the hell is so funny?"

"You may have thought you were friends but that shit ends here and now Cori!"

"Fuck you Karl! I'm a grown woman and only I will decide who I'm friends with not you so stay the hell away from Cass and while you're at it until you realize that I'm old enough to make my own choices you can stay the hell away from _me_!"


	8. Chapter 8

Rae groaned, pulling the pillow over her head as the knocking on her hotel room door continued. "I'm gonna kill whoever that is!" She growled, getting out of bed and throwing the door open. "What?!"

"Baby! Hey…you're not even out of bed yet." Enzo stated, pushing his way into her room.

"Very observant of you. It's only seven in the morning...not all of us get up at the asscrack of dawn. Now what do you want Enzo?"

"I brought coffee and some takeout breakfast. Thought maybe we could talk."

She was going to turn him away, every one of her instincts told her to but when she saw the hopeful look in his eyes, something inside her gave way. "Fine. It better be good coffee though."

"Only the best for ya baby." He said, carrying everything over to the small desk and setting it down.

"Yeah, yeah. Let me go throw some water on my face and try to wake up." Rae went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She used the restroom, washed her hands and face then put her hair up in a ponytail before making her way back out to see Enzo lounging on her bed, watching TV. "Why don't you just make yourself at home."

"Didn't think you would mind. Here ya go." He handed her a coffee and a bag which she discovered held breakfast burritos and hash browns causing her to look at him in confusion.

"How did you…"

"Cori told me."

"Of course she did." Rae mumbled, sitting beside him on the bed and taking a drink of her coffee.

"Good?"

"Yeah, thanks. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Actually Cass told me that _you_ were wantin' to talk to _me."_

 _Of course he did._ Rae thought, silently cursing out Cass. "Yeah, I suppose he's right. It could've waited until at the arena tonight though."

"Could have but I figured I could use it as an excuse to see your beautiful face this early in the mornin'."

Rae smirked and shook her head. "Sorry Enzo but I'm going to have to call you a liar on that one. There's nothing about me that's beautiful this early in the morning."

"We'll have to agree to disagree then baby cause you're always beautiful. Now...what did ya want to talk to me about?"

She took another drink of her coffee then took a deep breath. "Actually I wanted to apologize to you."

"For?"

"The way I treated you when you and Cass showed up at the house I share with Cori. It was really shitty of me and I am sorry."

"I gotta know baby...why did ya do it? I thought we had got somewhere when you told me about your ex then you turned around and treated me like that."

Rae could see the hurt in his eyes and felt even more ashamed. "I have a really hard time trusting people...men especially. When I saw you at the house that day I got really embarrassed because I don't like people seeing me when I'm weak or vulnerable and that was exactly how you saw me."

"Did ya think I would use it against ya or somethin'? Cause I ain't like that."

"I suppose part of me was afraid of that but more than anything I just hated myself for getting like that in front of you." Rae admitted, jumping a little in surprise when he reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You don't ever have to be afraid or embarrassed to show how you feel in front of me. I told you that day that I'd be here for ya whenever you needed me and nothin' you ever tell me will be shared with anyone else. I told you that you can trust me and I mean that baby."

"Logically I know that you mean it Enzo but I'm just so afraid of getting hurt again that I have a hard time…"

He stopped her by standing up and pulling her into a hug. "I know that you don't trust me right now even though I wish ya did but I promise that I'm gonna do everything I can to show you that I won't hurt ya like he did. You just have to give me that chance to prove it."

"I know and I'll try Enzo, I really will but it won't be easy for me."

"That's all I'm gonna ask of you is for ya to try. Now that we got that all taken care of...how about you let me take you to dinner tonight after the show?" Enzo asked and he was surprised when she shook her head. "No? Why not baby?"

"It's too soon for something like that. Right now I just want to focus on us being friends and my trying to trust you...is that okay?"

"Of course it is, I understand completely and I'll respect that for now but baby while we're bein' honest with each other and everything...there's somethin' I gotta tell ya."

"What is it?"

"Not sure when or how it's gonna happen exactly but one day? You're gonna be mine."


	9. Chapter 9

"So Cass told me that you and Enzo worked things out." Cori stated, passing Rae the Mountain Dew she had just bought her.

"Yeah, he decided to show up at my room at seven this morning with coffee and breakfast so we could talk."

"Good thing I decided at the last minute to get my own room then because I'd have killed him for showing up that early."

"I thought about it believe me but I'm glad I didn't because we talked and...we're in a good place right now." Rae admitted, smiling.

"Is there something going on between you two?"

"No, not at all. He asked me to have dinner with him tonight but I said no. I'm just not ready for more than anything other than trying to be friends and trust him."

"That's probably for the best. Did you tell him that?" Cori asked and Rae nodded.

"Yeah. He said that he could accept that but then he said…" Rae trailed off, her face turning red as she recalled just what he had said and the look in his eyes as he said it.

"What? Oh my God, you're blushing Rae! What in the hell did he say?"

"He said that one day I'm going to be his. That he's not sure when or how it'll happen...just that he's sure it _will_ happen."

"Oh wow, that's so sweet! I really think that when you feel you're ready to, you should give him a chance." Cori told her, glancing at the time on her phone. "Damn! I'm supposed to go meet Cass. Want to come with me?"

"Sure. Why not?" The two women stood up and made their way out of catering towards the locker rooms when Rae caught sight of Enzo talking to Dana, the two of them laughing about something.

"Rae what is it?"

She had stopped walking without even realizing it and she shook her head. "Nothing. Come on."

"Baby! There you are. I was just about to come lookin' for ya!"

"Sure you were. Please Enzo…don't let us interrupt you." Rae said, glaring at him before walking past him.

"Hey, now wait just a damn minute!" Enzo grabbed Rae's wrist and spun her around, holding a little bit tighter when she tried to pull away from him.

"Let go of me Enzo!"

"Not a chance baby, come on." He pulled her down the hall, smirking when he heard Cori giggling. "Tell Cass we'll meet up with you guys soon! I got some business to handle...woman stop tryin' to get away from me cause you don't stand a chance." Enzo reached an empty room and pulled Rae inside with him, shutting the door behind them.

"Damn you! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I saw the look in your eyes out there. You were about to shut me out again and I ain't havin' it so talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing Enzo, just leave me alone." Rae tried to step around him to get out of the room but he moved in front of her. "Dammit move!"

"Nope. Talk to me baby."

"There's nothing to say. Why don't you just go back to Dana and leave me alone!" She exclaimed, a look of surprise on her face when he started to laugh. "What the hell is so funny?!"

"You're jealous."

"I'm _what_? You're crazy!"

"Not gonna argue that but I ain't wrong about this no matter what you say. You're jealous that I was talkin' to Dana but you ain't gotta be. We're friends...nothin' more." Enzo said and Rae scoffed.

"I've heard that before."

"Not from me you haven't. I got no reason to lie to you baby. I told you this mornin' that you can trust me...I also told you that one day you're gonna be mine and I meant it. I ain't out there lookin' for no other woman so you don't have a thing to be jealous of."

"I'm not jealous Enzo!"

"Sure ya are but that's okay...I kinda like it." He said, winking at her and Rae rolled her eyes. "Now come on, let's go find Cori and Cass. I gotta face your idiot brother tonight."

"You still not talking to Karl?" Rae asked Cori as they watched Karl and Luke attack Enzo and Cass from behind.

"Nope. I don't intend to either until he gets his head out of his ass and stops treating me like I'm a little kid." The match officially started and Cori watched closely, a weird feeling coming over her. "Rae…"

"What is it?"

"Something's not right...look how Luke is hitting Enzo. It's like he's really trying to hurt him.

"Luke can be stupid at times but I don't think he'd be stupid enough to do that." Rae stated, now watching the match more closely. "Shit!"

"I'm right aren't I? God, the look on Cass' face! What the hell is wrong with your damn brother?!"

"I don't know but I'm about to find out." Rae quickly left the locker room and made her way towards the entrance. "Luke! What the fuck was that all about?" She demanded to know the minute he made his way through the curtain.

" _That_ was about me teaching that little bitch a lesson!"

"A _lesson_? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't hear about what happened with you two a little while ago? That was my way of telling him to stay the hell away from you!" Luke roared and she stared at him in shock.

"I honestly didn't think you were that stupid! You could've really hurt him!"

"Nah. Had I wanted to have done that...he'd still be laying out in the middle of that ring. Stay away from him Rae."

"Fuck you Luke!" She jogged over to Enzo who was being helped to the back by Cass. "You okay Enzo?"

"Been better, I ain't gonna lie about that. Shit he really cleaned my clock. What the hell was that all about anyway?"

"Somebody told him about you dragging me all over the arena. _That_ was his way of warning you off." Rae explained and Enzo chuckled.

"Well, that ain't gonna happen. He'll have to try better than that."

"And he will too. Enzo maybe…"

"Don't even say it. I ain't afraid of him baby and I'm not worried...right now I better go get checked out. You're a beautiful woman baby but I like it better when there's just one of ya."

"Right. Sorry. I'll go with you." She went to his side and helped Cass lead Enzo to the trainers room.

"Well, it doesn't look like you have a concussion or anything Enzo but I think you should take it easy for the next few days."

"You got it Doc."

"Rae?" A male voice spoke up and Enzo noticed how stiff Rae got before slowly turning around.

"Tama…"


	10. Chapter 10

The minute she spoke Enzo understood the stiffness of her body, the pain etched on her face and it made his heart ache for her.

"Been a while hasn't it Lynn? You're looking good though. Is there any way we can talk?"

"Umm yeah…I guess so." Rae stammered, turning her attention briefly to Enzo. "I'll talk to you later. I'll call you to check and see how you're doing." She walked out of the room before he could respond and he sighed.

"Who was that? Rae looked like she'd seen a ghost." Cass stated and Enzo nodded.

"In a way I guess she had man. That's her ex...the reason I can't get any further with her than I am."

"What are you doing here Tama?" Rae questioned once they were outside the arena.

"I came to see you. You won't talk to me on the phone so I figured this is the only way to get you to talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about. You made your choice and I moved on." Rae said and he stared at her.

"Have you really? With _him_ I suppose."

"Not that it's any of your business but no, Enzo and I aren't together. I'm not with anyone but that doesn't mean I'm going to get back with you either so really you coming here was just a waste of your time."

"I don't see it that way. I still love you Lynn and I _will_ get you back."

"Shit. Are you serious? Cori's told me some about him...he really did a number on Rae."

"Yeah, he did. Speakin' of Cori…she probably doesn't even know he's here so maybe you should go tell her."

"That's a good idea. You be alright here?"

"I'll be fine. Go find Cori and tell her before that asshole can do anymore damage to Rae."

"You got it." Cass raced out of the trainers room and found Cori sitting in his locker room. "We got trouble."

"What? What is it?" Cori asked, jumping to her feet. "Is Enzo okay?"

"Yeah, Zo is gonna be fine. The trouble isn't with him...it's with Rae."

"What do you mean? Did she say or do something to him again?"

"No. She was with us in the trainers room while he was getting checked out and this guy came in. It was Tama Cori." Cass informed her and her jaw dropped.

" _What_? Where is he?"

"I don't know. He asked her if they could talk and they both took off."

" _Shit_!" Cori pulled out her cellphone and texted Rae. ' _Where are you? Why is Tama here?'_

' _Outside the arena. Says he's here to get me back but it's not going to happen. How's Enzo?'_

"Oh thank God!"

"What's she saying?"

"I guess he told her that he's here to get her back but she told him it's not happening then she asked about Enzo. Think he'd feel well enough to take a walk outside?" Cori asked and Cass smiled.

"I'm sure once we tell him the reason for the walk then he'll feel more than well enough."

"Good. Let's go."

Enzo lifted his head and sighed in relief when he saw Cass walk in with Cori. "Thank God you found her. Cori you gotta go find Rae!"

"I know exactly where she is. You feel up to going with us?"

"Hell yeah!" Enzo stood up but staggered a little when he got dizzy. "Whoa."

"Easy Zo, easy." Cass said, reaching out to steady him.

"I'm good. Let's go."

"Lynn please...just hear me out."

"There's nothing you can say or do that's going to change my mind."

"Baby!" Enzo called out and Rae turned to see him, Cass and Cori walking towards them.

"Enzo my God! You should be inside resting!" Rae raced to his side and wrapped her arm around his waist. "You big dummy! What the hell are you doing out here?"

Enzo smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. "Lookin' for you. Wanna help me back in?"

"Shouldn't be out here in the first place you fool. Come on, let's go." Rae mumbled, glancing at Cori.

"Go. I got this." Cori assured her, watching Enzo and Rae as they disappeared inside before turning her attention to Tama. "You got a lot of balls showing up here like this."

"Hello Cori. Nice to see you again too."

"Cut the bullshit Tama. I don't know why you're here now but as you can see Rae is doing just fine without you around."

"Always did try to live her life and try to make her decisions for her. Nice to see some things haven't changed."

"You sorry son of a bitch!" Cori tried to launch herself at Tama but Cass caught her around the waist. "Let me go!"

"No now come on...he's not worth it Cori."

"Cass let go!" Cori struggled against him, the heel of her stiletto catching him in the shin and she stopped struggling when he cried out in pain. "Shit Cass, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay hellcat, just calm down and don't worry about him."

Cori nodded, glaring daggers at Tama. "Just get the hell out of here and leave her alone."

"I will...for tonight."

"Enzo what the hell were you thinking about? You were told to rest not come traipsing outside looking for me."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. What about you though? You doin' okay?" He sat down on the couch and pulled her down beside him.

"I suppose so I just...I never thought I'd have to see him again."

"He didn't say anything to hurt you did he? Headache from hell or not...I'll kick his ass!"

"You'll do no such thing! He didn't get the chance to say much at all before you guys came out believe me."

"Good. Now I should probably get showered and changed but I really just feel like gettin' out of here and goin' back to the hotel."

"Come on. Let's go find Cass and Cori to let them know and I'll go with you. You can ride back to the hotel with me and Cori can ride with Cass."

Tama looked around the parking lot to make sure he was alone then dialed an old familiar number on his cellphone. "Hey, it's me."

"Where are you? You were supposed to be here hours ago!"

"Relax brother. I'm already here and I've even talked to her."

"And?" The man asked and Tama smirked.

"Went better than I thought it would but she still won't have anything to do with me yet. Give me a little time and I'll have her right where we both want her…by my side and away from _him_."

"You had better."

The line fell dead with a click and Tama smiled. He _would_ have her back again and no one was going to stand in his way.


	11. Chapter 11

"So, tell me something." Cass spoke up as he and Cori laid on the bed watching a movie.

"Tell you what?"

"You gonna have any exes coming back to try and get back with you?"

"Ha! No, not going to happen at all so you have nothing to worry about. The only guy I was ever really serious about is married and has kids."

"A wrestler?" Cass asked and Cori sighed, knowing that this was going to come up sooner or later.

"Yeah, he is but he's not with the company anymore."

"Who was it?"

"I'm not sure how you're going to react once I tell you."

"Why do you say that?"

Cori took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Because he was married when we were together. Had been for a long time and I knew about it going into the relationship with him."

"Okay, now I'm really curious. You dated a married man?"

"It's not something I'm really proud of now but I loved him a lot so at the time it didn't matter to me." Cori admitted, looking away from Cass because she was afraid of the judgment that might be in his eyes.

"Who was he Cori?"

"Tommy Dreamer."

"Dreamer? Wow…not a name I would've thought you were going to say. He won't come around wanting to get back with you?"

"No, we've been over for years. You're not disgusted with me after finding out I was with a married man?"

"Not at all. You made a decision back then and I can tell now that it's not one you're proud of so as long as he doesn't show up here wanting you again...what you just told me won't be brought up again." Cass assured her and she smiled when he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank you Cass. What about you? Any exes I have to worry about?"

Before he could answer her his cellphone rang and he checked to see who it was. "I need to take this." Cass sat up and walked towards the bathroom. "Carmella?"

Cori heard him say Carmella's name before he walked in and shut the bathroom door. She jumped up and crept quietly over to the door to see if she could hear anything that was being said.

"Why are you even calling me Carmella?"

" _I just wanted to call and check on you. Is that such a crime?"_

"Kinda late trying to play the concerned one isn't it?"

" _Come on Cass, don't be like that. I still love and care for you."_

That was all Cori needed to hear. She grabbed her cellphone and purse then she snuck out of the room.

"Cori where ya goin'?" Enzo asked, walking up to her.

"Back to my room." Cori whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Hey. What's wrong girl?"

"Nothing Enzo...I have to go."

Enzo watched her until she disappeared into the elevator before walking into the room he shared with Cass. "Hey man! You in here?"

"Right here." Cass said, walking out of the bathroom and looking around. "Where did Cori go?"

"I just saw her in the hall. She looked like she was about to cry. What happened?"

"Shit." Cass sighed, sitting down on the foot of the.

"What did you do to her?!"

"Nothing man! We were talking about exes and just as she asked me if there was any in my past that she had to worry about...Carmella called. She must've overheard some of the conversation and took off. I better go find her."

"Want me to tag along?"

"No. This is something I gotta take care of on my own."

"Alright man, good luck." He waited until Cass left then he pulled out his cellphone and dialed Rae's number.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey baby. Is Cori there with you?"

" _Hang on."_ He heard muffled noises and then a door shutting. " _Yeah, she's here and she's really upset. What did Cass do to her?"_

"Technically it wasn't Cass. I guess they were talkin' about their exes and Carmella called him just at that moment. She must've overheard some of what they said and took off."

" _Shit. What do you want me to do?"_

"Keep her there baby, don't let her leave. I'll get a hold of Cass and tell him where she is. Want me to come too?"

" _Yeah. We'll go get some lunch or something while they talk."_

"Okay, see you soon."

Cass had searched the whole downstairs and even outside the hotel and still found no sign of Cori. "Dammit!" His cellphone chimed and he immediately checked it only to see it was a text from Enzo.

' _Found Cori for ya.'_

' _Where?'_

' _Her and Rae's room. I'm headin' there now to get Rae so we can disappear while you talk to Cori. Rae's gonna keep her there till you get there.'_

"Come on Cori, it may not be as bad as you think. Did you hear the whole conversation?"

"No but I heard enough. She was telling him how much she still loves him...they have a past together and I can't compete with that."

"No one's asking you to and it's a _past_ with her for a reason. Don't go jumping to conclusions until you hear the whole story." There was a knock on the door and Rae answered it, smiling when she saw Cass. "Hey. Come on in."

"Cori…" He whispered as she spun around to look at him.

"How did you find me?"

"Zo told me where you were."

"And I suppose you were the one who told Enzo." Cori glared at Rae who just smiled. "What do you want Cass?"

"I gotta talk to you."

"Baby?"

Rae turned, saw Enzo and smiled. "Hey. You ready?"

"Where are you two going?"

"Downstairs to get something to eat while you two talk. Feel free to join us when you're done if you want to!" Rae called over her shoulder, quickly following Enzo out of the room.

"Cass there's really nothing to say, I heard enough in your room."

"Exactly what did you hear?"

"I heard her say how much she still loves you. I won't be the one to stand in your way if you want to get back with her."

"That was the last thing you heard?" He asked and Cori nodded. "You should've stuck around another minute or two. If you would've, you'd have heard me tell her that I'm not interested in starting over with her. You would've also heard me tell her that I'm interested in someone else and that I want to see where it goes." Cass stated and she looked up at him in shock.

"Oh, Cass…"

"Come here." He held out his arms and Cori walked over to him. Cass wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet until they were looking in each others eyes. "Carmella is in my past just like Tommy is in yours. If I had wanted to be with her still then I wouldn't be here with you now okay?"

"Okay."

Cass smiled and gave her a gentle kiss. "Now let's go find Rae and Zo...I'm starving."

"You're always hungry."

"Hey!" Cass popped her on the ass causing her to giggle. "I'll have you know I'm a growing boy."

"You grow anymore and I'm going to have to start carrying a ladder around!"

"Not my fault you're so short!" Cass retorted, laughing when she playfully punched his arm.

"Not everybody can be a giant you know?" Cori mumbled, smiling as he laughed even harder.


	12. Chapter 12

"You think you ordered enough?" Cori asked, glancing at Cass' plate.

"Girl don't you start that again."

Cori laughed and she was about to say something else when she spotted Karl and Luke walking towards the entrance of the hotel. "Be right back." She jumped up and walked out of the restaurant, catching sight of the guys just as they walked over to Tama and began talking to him. "What the hell…"

"You really think meeting here like this is a good idea brother? Cori or Rae could see us at any moment and then we might as well kiss our plans goodbye."

"I don't give a shit. You're supposed to be here to get her away from that asshole!"

"According to what she told me, there's nothing going on between them."

"Maybe not right now but I'm not willing to take the chance there won't be in the future. If you don't want to help me or get her back then you'd better tell me now and I'll find someone who will." Luke threatened and Tama glared at him.

"I didn't say _that._ All I'm saying is that we need to be more careful about being seen together. What are you doing about Cori? I'm sure you don't want her around that guy she's been hanging out with."

"Don't worry about Cori, I'm taking care of that myself. You just worry about doing what Luke brought you here to do."

"I'll take care of things on my end. Don't doubt that for a second."

 _I wish I could hear what they're saying!_ Cori sighed and decided to give up before somebody came looking for her. She walked back in the restaurant and sat down next to Cass.

"Everything okay?"

"Just fine." Cori replied, making the choice to keep what she saw to herself for now.

"Are you okay? You've been acting funny all day." Rae whispered to Cori as the four of them sat in Rae and Cori's room watching a movie.

"Fine I…" There was a knock on the door and both women looked at each other. "I'll get it." Cori got off Cass' lap and walked over to the door, surprised at who she saw.

"Hey! You ready to go?" Rhino asked, smiling at her.

"Ready to go? Where?"

"Dinner. Karl said you told him to tell me to pick you up now."

"That son of a bitch!" Cass roared, stepping up behind Cori. "She's not going anywhere with you or anyone else!"

"Cass calm down." Cori rested her hand on his chest. "Rhino I think you'd better come in and explain exactly what it was that my brother told you." She did her best to push Cass back a little, trying to ignore the desire building in her when she saw Cass get upset and jealous.

"I'm not sure I understand what's going on here." Rhino said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Neither do we which is why I need you to tell me what it was that Karl told you."

"He came to me the other day and told me that you had been wanting to ask me out for a while but you were too shy to do it so you asked him to."

"Motherfucker." Cass hissed, glaring at Rhino.

"Man calm down. Sounds to me like he's an innocent party in all this." Enzo whispered and Cass nodded.

"I know but it still pisses me off."

"You agreed to have dinner then?"

"Yeah then he told me to pick you up tonight for the date. What's going on Cori?" He questioned, looking back and forth between the four other people in the room.

"What's going on is that I'm really sorry. It looks like my brother has decided to use you as a pawn."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm actually seeing Cass. When my brother found out he went ballistic. Now I know what he meant when he told Tama he was going to take care of me and Cass himself."

"Tama? What does he have to do with all this Cori?" Rae asked, stepping up beside Enzo who threw an arm around her shoulders.

Cori sighed, realizing her slip up too late. "Rhino I'm so sorry that Karl brought you into this but I need to talk to these guys alone."

"Not a problem. I'm sorry too, I never meant to cause any trouble. Think I'll go find your brother and have a talk with him."

"Cori what the hell does Tama have to do with all this?" Rae asked again after Rhino had left the room.

"Earlier today when I left the restaurant it was because I saw Karl and Luke and decided to follow them. When they got to the lobby Tama was there and the three of them started talking about something. I wasn't close enough to hear anything they said other than when Karl raised his voice and told Tama that he was going to take care of me himself."

"That means that Luke already knew that he was here and never came to tell me about it. What the hell are they up to?"

"I don't know baby but I think we should be findin' that out real soon."

"I'm with Zo. I think we need to find out what they're up to."

Cori looked at Rae who nodded, knowing what her friend was thinking. "Cass...maybe you and Enzo should just forget about Rae and I. We…"

"No! Not only no but _hell no_! They're not going to get rid of us that easily and neither are you two. Right Zo?"

"Damn right. They ain't gonna run us off. Those boys are gonna have a fight on their hands."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I must apologize to my coauthor for not mentioning her before this but I'm sending out a giant thank you to SweetGA07 for all her help! She's helped with the title, the summary and many, many of the ideas in this story. Cori is her character. Thanks girl, love ya!

Enzo's cellphone chimed with a text message at the same time Cass' did and his eyes widened in shock when he saw who it was from. "Cass? Did you get a text…"

"From Hunter? Yeah. Wonder what he wants to talk to the four of us about."

"No clue. We better go find Rae and Cori to let them know."

"Rae! Can I borrow your black top with the red skulls?" Cori called out and Rae rolled her eyes.

"It's in the closet!" Rae called back, putting the finishing touches on her makeup. There was a knock on the door and she walked out of the bathroom. "I'll get it." Rae opened the door and smiled when she saw Enzo and Cass standing there.

"Hey baby, you're lookin' good this morning."

"Oh shut up and get in here."

"Cori here?" Cass asked, looking around the room and he smiled when he saw her step out of her bedroom. "Morning gorgeous."

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

"We got a text from Hunter not too long ago. He wants to meet with Zo and I. He wants you guys there as well."

" _Us?_ Why us?"

"Not sure. He wants to meet us in a half hour though...you guys able to leave now?"

Cori and Rae looked at each other before shrugging. "Sure, why not? I'm curious to see what this is all about."

Cass knocked on the door of Hunter's office and waited.

"Come in!"

He opened the door and growled when he saw who was sitting in the office with Hunter. "No disrespect boss but what are _they_ doing here?"

"They're part of the meeting too. Come in and sit down." Hunter instructed and Cass walked in followed by Enzo, Rae and Cori.

"Son of a bitch!" Karl jumped up and started towards Cass when he saw Cori with him.

"Sit down Anderson!" Hunter snapped, glaring at the man. "Your sister and Luke's sister are here because I asked them to be and I won't have you starting any shit in my office."

Cori, Rae, Cass and Enzo all sat down together away from Karl and Luke. "Sir not to sound rude or anything but why are Rae and I even here?"

"I've been hearing about what's going on with the six of you and after talking it over...we'd like to be able to use this thing with you guys onscreen."

"No way! Not happening!" Luke roared, jumping to his feet.

" _Sit down!_ "

"As much as it pains me to do so, I have to agree with my brother. I'm not willing to put my personal life on display for all the world to see." Rae stated and Cori nodded in agreement. "Enzo and Cass are dealing with enough shit outside the ring from Luke and Karl...I won't ask them to deal with anymore inside the ring." Rae's phone chimed and she looked at it, her whole body going stiff when she saw a text from Tama.

' _Need to talk to you please. I'm at the arena.'_

' _I have nothing to say to you.'_

' _I have a lot to say to you...please Lynn?'_

' _Fine. Meet me outside catering.'_ Rae stood up and tucked her phone in her pocket. "If you'll excuse me." She walked out of the office before anyone can stop her and made her way down the hall.

"Lynn!" Tama called out and she looked over her shoulder to see him coming up the hall behind her.

"What the hell do you want now?"

"To apologize to you. I know what I did to you in the past was wrong and I'm sorry Lynn, you have to believe me!"

"I don't have to do a damn thing."

"Please Lynn! I've changed trust me...just give me a chance to prove it to you." Tama pleaded with her and Rae shook her head.

"No! I…" Her words were cut off by Tama pulling her to him and kissing her. Too shocked to do anything at first, she glanced over his shoulder to see Enzo watching them.

Enzo shook his head, his heart feeling like it was being ripped in two when Rae's eyes locked with his. With one last look, he turned and walked away.

Rae jerked away from Tama and slapped him across the face. "Damn you!" She stepped around him and ran down the hall in search of Enzo.


	14. Chapter 14

Rae raced down the hall looking for any sign of Enzo when she heard a bunch of loud banging coming from one of the rooms. She walked over and quietly opened the door, watching as he kicked chairs and trashcans over. "Enzo…"

Enzo stood perfectly still but never turned around. "Go away Rae."

She flinched as he called her by her name, having called her nothing but "baby" since after the night they first met. "At least talk to me. Let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain!" He spun around and glared at her. "That was all the explanation I needed out there when I saw you kissing him! Why would you go back to him after everything he put you through?! I was here willing to give you everything you could ever want but _no!_ You had to choose him again!"

"Enzo I'm not going back to him and _I_ sure as hell didn't kiss _him_!"

"Oh, so _he_ kissed _you_ huh? Bullshit! I know what I saw!"

Rae rolled her eyes and walked up to him. "If you would've stayed five more seconds you would have seen me pull away and slap him across the face! _I_ didn't kiss _him_! If I was going to kiss a man it'd look a hell of a lot more like this!" Without thinking she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

Too stunned to do anything at first, Enzo just stood there but then he snapped out of it and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close but before he could, she jerked away and glared up at him. "What…"

"See the difference jackass?!" Rae growled and walked out of the room.

Enzo stood there for a minute in shock and then he smiled as he began doing his dance around the room. "She wants me! Knew she couldn't resist forever!"

Rae ran down the hall, blowing past Cori and Cass.

"Hey! Where are you going? What's wrong?" Cass called after her and she glanced over her shoulder.

"Why don't you go ask that asshole friend of yours? I'm out of here!"

Cass growled and started towards Rae to confront her about calling Enzo a asshole but he stopped when Cori laid her hand on his chest. "What are you doing? I'm tired of her talking about him like that."

"I think she's right...we need to go talk to Enzo. I've known Rae a long time Cass and she was just about to start crying."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, positive."

"Let's go find Zo." Cass took her hand and they walked in the direction Rae had just come from and found Enzo in a room dancing. "Zo! What the hell is going on man?"

"I'm celebratin' man! What does it look like?"

"Celebrating what? Making Rae cry? Sorry Cass, I know you don't want to hear it but she was right...he _is_ a asshole." Cori said, glaring at Enzo who stopped moving and his smile fell.

"She was cryin'? Shit!"

"Yeah, she was and when I asked her why she told me to find my asshole friend and ask him about what happened. What _did_ happen Zo?"

"When she left Hunter's office she looked upset so I followed after her and I found her kissin' Tama. She saw me watchin' them so I got away from there. I was so pissed I came here and started tearin' up the place. Rae must've followed me cause next thing I knew she was here and we were arguin'."

"About what?"

"She tried tellin' me that he had kissed her and not the other way around but I wouldn't listen. Rae got pissed and I guess she decided to teach me a lesson or somethin' because the next thing I knew she was kissin' me and tellin' me that it would've been more like that had _she_ actually kissed _him_ then she took off. Shit...I never meant to make her cry, you gotta believe that!" He said, looking at Cori who nodded.

"I believe you Enzo. I think we should just let her go right now and give her time to cool down."

"Another shot of Jack please!" Rae slurred, swaying slightly in her seat.

"Ma'am I think you've had enough don't you?"

"I haven't had nearly enough now give me another shot!"

The bartender shook his head but poured her another shot and sat it in front of her. "This is the last one lady. You want anymore and you'll have to go somewhere else."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Rae mumbled, picking up the shot and throwing it back.

Cori moaned against Cass' lips as he pulled her onto his lap and slid his hand up her bare thigh. Her cellphone ringing caused them to jump slightly, both completely out of breath. "Dammit!"

Cass chuckled and let her go long enough for her to reach her phone. "Who is it?"

"Rae...shit! Hello?"

" _Cori Anderson?"_ A male voice came over the line and Cori looked at Cass in confusion.

"Yes. Who is this?"

" _My name is Frank and I'm the bartender at a local hotel. The woman that this phone belongs to is here and she's really drunk. I've refused to serve her anymore but she still won't leave."_

"Shit! Okay, umm...I'm in the same hotel she is so someone will be there soon to get her. Thank you for calling me." Cori hung up the phone and shook her head. "That was the bartender from downstairs. Rae's down there drunk off her ass and won't leave...I need to go get her."

"Why not have Zo do it? He's probably the reason she's that way in the first place."

"Good idea." Cori scrolled through her contacts to find Enzo's number.

" _Hello?"_

"Enzo it's Cori. I just got a call from the bar downstairs...Rae's drunk and causing trouble."

" _I'll go get her. It's my fault anyway."_ Enzo said and he hung up the phone.

"He's going to go get her. I think it's probably a good thing that guy called though." She blushed and Cass chuckled.

"Yeah, things were getting a little intense huh?"

Enzo walked into the bar and immediately spotted Rae. "Baby?" He whispered, laying a hand on her shoulder as she turned to glare at him.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here? I thought he called Cori."

"He did but I told her I'd come get you."

"Well, I wish you wouldn't have! I don't have anything to say to you Enzo!" She snapped, standing up and Enzo had to grab her before she fell over. "Let go of me!"

"No! Now come on...you may not have anything to say to me but I've got plenty to say to _you_ and you're gonna listen."

"Fuck you Enzo!"

"We'll save that for another time when you're not so drunk. Let's go." He nodded his thanks to the bartender then led her out of the hotel all together.

"What the hell are you doing? I want to go back to my room!"

"Not until you listen to what I have to say and the cool air will sober you up enough to understand what I'm sayin'."

"I told you I don't want to hear it"

"Too damn bad! You're gonna listen!" Enzo snapped and Rae stared at him in shock. "Dammit, I'm sorry baby but you need to listen to me. I made a mistake earlier...I never should've jumped on you like that without listenin' to your side of things. I was just so hurt when I saw you two that I lashed out without thinkin' and I'm sorry."

"He put me through hell Enzo. There's no way I'd even give the smallest thought of going back to him." Rae whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Aww now come on baby, don't cry. You know I can't stand it when you cry!" He pulled her into his arms, sighing in relief when she didn't push him away.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. When I saw the look in your eyes today when you saw Tama and me...God Enzo I am _so sorry._ "

"Nothin' for you to be sorry about baby. It's over and done with now. There's somethin' I wanna ask you though and hopefully you're sober enough now to remember it tomorrow."

Rae pulled back a little and looked up at him. "I am, don't worry. What is it?"

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night? I know you said you're not…" His words were cut off by Rae placing a finger to his lips.

"I know what I said before but...yes I'll have dinner with you."


	15. Chapter 15

"You ready for tonight?" Rae asked as she and Cori put the finishing touches on their hair and makeup.

" _Me_? What about _you_? Cass and I have been on a couple of dates now but this is your first with Enzo. What made you finally say yes to him anyway?"

"I honestly don't know Cori. I don't think I'm anywhere near being ready for a relationship with anyone but Enzo…ah hell, I don't know how to explain it." Rae said, sighing in frustration while Cori laughed.

"Just think about that first night we met them…I swear I thought you were actually going to kill him!"

"I thought about it and not just that night either but he has this way of...inching his way in and before I knew it I found myself wanting to have him around more and more."

"Well, unlike your piece of shit ex, Enzo is a good man and I have no doubt that he'll do right by you."

"Please don't mention him tonight. I want to try to have a good time without him hanging over me like some black cloud." Rae said and Cori nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry." There was a knock on the door and both women looked at each other. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." They walked out of the bathroom and Rae opened the door, smiling when she saw Enzo and Cass standing there. "Hey guys, come on in."

"Gladly. Damn baby you look _good_!" Enzo looked her up and down before kissing her on the cheek.

"Thanks. You clean up pretty good too."

"Don't I though?"

Rae groaned and turned to look at Cori. "Nope. Definitely not just that first night."

Cori laughed so hard she had to lean against Cass to keep from falling over. "I see what you mean."

"Care to clue the rest of us in?" Cass asked, looking back and forth between Rae and Cori.

"I'll explain it to you later. We'd better go because our reservations are in a half hour. Have fun you two and take care of her Enzo!"

"Always." Enzo vowed, watching as Cori and Cass walked out of the room before he turned to Rae. "Care to explain to me what you meant?"

"Cori was talking about the first night she and I met you and Cass. She said she thought I was actually going to kill you that night and I told her I thought about it then and after that too." She explained and Enzo frowned. "Oh, don't pout. I don't want to kill you now at all."

"Well, that's good I suppose." He replied, still frowning and Rae laughed as she leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose causing him to smile. "My lips are just a little lower than that baby."

"Yeah, you aren't getting that lucky yet Amore."

"Damn! Well, we'd better get going too before we're late."

"You look happy tonight."

Cori smiled at Cass and nodded. "I am. I'm here with you, things have gone well today and finally Rae is becoming her old self again."

"Yeah, Zo's real happy too but I don't want to talk about them tonight...I want to talk about us."

"What about us?" Cori asked and Cass chuckled.

"Nothing bad so don't look so worried. I can speak for myself and I'm pretty sure I can speak for you too but...I haven't seen another woman since I met you and I have no intention of doing so. I guess what I'm trying to say to you in my own bumbling way is that I want this to be exclusive."

"I couldn't agree with you more. I don't want to rush things between us but as long as we're seeing each other then there won't be any other man for me, I promise."

Cass smiled and leaned across the table to kiss her. "Now that we've got that settled...let's eat cause I'm starving."

"You really do look beautiful tonight baby."

"Thank you Enzo. How did you ever know to bring me to a Greek restaurant?"

"I asked Cori's advice. She told me Italian, Mexican or Greek so this is what I chose...it's okay, right?" Enzo questioned and Rae smiled.

"It's perfect Enzo."

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you ever regret havin' met Cass and I?"

It was a question so far out of left field that it took Rae by surprise. "Why would you ask something like _that?_ "

"You and Cori probably had a good relationship with your brothers before we came along. I just wanna make sure you don't regret meetin' since it's seemed to cause so many problems."

"I'll admit in the beginning and don't take this the wrong way please...but in the beginning I didn't want you in my life and I didn't like the fact that Cass' was in Cori's life but it had nothing to do with Luke or Karl. I hated every man outside of the ones in my family because of the shit I've been through."

"You don't now though?"

"I still don't trust men all that much but no, I don't hate them. I see how happy Cori is with Cass and...and I'm really starting to like having you around a lot. So to answer your question...no I don't regret meeting you or Cass. Luke and Karl are ruining any relationship they had with us because they refuse to let us live our own lives."

Cass looked down at his watch and sighed. "It's getting late sweetheart, we'd better get going."

"Yeah, you're right. I've been having such a great time though."

"I'm glad because I have too. This won't be the only night though, there will be plenty more to come." Cass said as he stood up and pulled Cori to her feet then he leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Well, when you put it that way it's difficult to argue with." Cori replied, smiling up at him as they walked out of the restaurant together.

Enzo and Rae stood outside her hotel room and he smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want you to know I had a really great time with you tonight baby."

"I had a really great time too. I want to thank you for...not giving up on me I guess is how I want to say it. I had been so closed off from everyone physically and emotionally that I forgot what it was like to have fun."

"Stick with me kid and I'll show you a lot more fun." Enzo said causing Rae to giggle. "You'd better get inside though, it's getting late."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks again for a wonderful night Enzo."

"It was my pleasure baby believe me." He watched her disappear into her room before making his way to the elevators.

"Enzo!" Rae called out and he turned to see her running towards him.

"Baby what's…" His words were cut off by her pulling him down and kissing him. He growled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thanks again for tonight." Rae whispered once the kiss ended and he watched her disappear back into her room with a huge smile on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

Rae was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal and watching the news when she felt someone slap her in the back of the head. "Ouch!" She rubbed the spot on her head and turned to glare up at Cori who was standing behind her. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For being in bed asleep when I got back last night! Why didn't you wait up so we could talk?"

"I was tired and had no clue when you'd be back. What's wrong with talking now? How did your date go?" Rae asked and Cori smiled as she sat down on the couch.

"It went great. Cass and I talked and we decided to see each other exclusively."

"Exclusively? Was he seeing someone else before you two decided this?"

"No! He made sure to let me know that."

"Well, that's good. I'd hate to have to kick his giant ass."

Cori laughed and hit Rae on the arm with a pillow from the couch. "Enough about _my_ date. How did _yours_ go?"

"It...went really good actually. He took me to a local Greek restaurant which I thank you for by the way. We talked pretty much the whole time about different things. The only thing that bugged me was when he asked if I regretted us meeting him and Cass."

" _What_? Why did he ask that?"

"He was afraid that we'd blame him and Cass for ruining our relationships with Luke and Karl. I told him the only ones doing that were Luke and Karl themselves." Rae explained and Cori sighed.

"You're right and I hate that he had to even ask that. I hope Cass isn't feeling the same way."

Rae's phone chimed and she picked it up off the coffee table, smiling when she saw it was a text from Enzo.

' _Good mornin' baby. You and Cori want to have lunch with Cass and I?'_

"Do we want to have lunch with Enzo and Cass today?" Rae asked, holding her phone up so Cori could see the message.

"Hell yeah."

' _I suppose us extremely busy, extremely important women could spare you two some time.'_

' _Ha! You're real funny, you know that?'_

' _I know. What time were you thinking?'_

' _12:30 work for ya?'_

Rae showed Cori the phone again and Cori nodded. ' _12:30 works just fine for us.'_

' _Great! We'll see ya then. Hey baby?'_

' _Yeah?'_

' _Think I might get another kiss from ya?'_

Rae blushed and quickly turned away from Cori. "I'm going to kill him."

"Uh oh. What did he say? Your face is beet red!"

"Shut up Cori." Rae growled and her friend laughed. ' _You may or may not get that lucky. We'll have to see if you're a good boy or not.'_

' _Shit! That means no because I am never a good boy baby and trust me...you'll be very thankful for that one of these days.'_

"Oh my God!"

"What in the world is he saying? You're whole face and even your neck are on fire!" Cori tried her best to see Rae's phone but Rae held it away from her.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Rae got up went into her bedroom, dialing Enzo's number as she went.

" _Hello baby. Wondered how long it'd take ya before you called."_

"You're evil do you know that? Cori was sitting right beside me."

" _Aw shit, I'm sorry. I never thought of that or I wouldn't have been teasin' ya like that."_

"It's alright. As for your question...maybe." Rae stated, smiling when she heard him chuckle.

" _Maybe is good...I can work with maybe. I'll get off here now so I can get to the gym but I'll see you in a few hours."_

"Okay, see you then." Rae hung up the phone and walked out to see Cori on her phone.

"I don't care what you say! Nothing is going to change my mind! If you and Luke really love and care for us then you need to realize that you trying to run our lives is never going to work Karl!" Cori hung up her phone and tossed it on the couch.

"What did he want?"

"Apparently Roman was in the hotel bar with Dean last night and he saw Cass and I leave as well as you and Enzo. He went to Luke and Karl and told them. That was Karl on the phone bitching me out and telling me again to stay the hell away from Cass."

"Roman is just pissed at me because of Tama so he's taking it out on you too." Rae stated and Cori nodded.

"I know that but don't worry about it...they'll get what's coming to them. I'm going to go get a shower and everything before the guys get here. What about you?"

"Think I'll watch TV for a few minutes then go get ready." Rae sat down on the couch and waited for Cori to walk out of the room before she grabbed the remote. Just as she was about to turn on the TV there was a loud noise and the sound of something hitting the door. She jumped up and ran over, pulling the door open she gasped when she saw the person laying on the floor.


	17. Chapter 17

"Enzo! Oh my God!" Rae dropped to her knees and gently pushed his hair back from his face. "Oh, Enzo…"

"Zo!" Cass shouted and Rae looked up to see him running down the hall. "What the fuck happened?!"

"I don't know! Cori had just went in to take a shower and I sat down to watch TV. There was this loud thud and something hit the door. When I opened it to see what it was he was laying here like this! Can you bring him in the room and put him on my bed?"

"Yeah, step back but hold the door open." Cass leaned down and lifted Enzo in his arms, following Rae into her bedroom and gently laying him down on the bed.

Enzo groaned and slowly opened his eyes, looking back and forth between Cass and Rae. "What…" He tried to sit up but fell back with a grimace when pain shot through his stomach. "What's goin' on? Where is he?"

"Who Zo? Who did this to you man?"

"Gallows. Jumped me from…behind…took me by surprise."

Rae gasped in horror and her hand flew to her mouth as she looked at Cass in shock. "My brother did _this_?"

"Said it was my last warnin' to stay away from ya. Wasn't only him though baby."

"Karl too?"

"No." Enzo responded, taking Rae's hand in his. "It was Tama."

Rae snatched her hand away and ran out of the room towards the door.

"Hey! What's with all the noise I heard?" Cori asked, stepping out of her room.

"Go to my room and find out. Can't talk right now...I'll be back."

Tama sat in the hotel bar with Luke, the two drinking a beer in a toast to a job well done. "Think he got the message this time?"

"Who knows about...oh shit!"

Rae walked up to their table and she glared at them. "Both of you follow me right now or I swear to God I'll bring this whole fucking place down around us." She walked out of the bar, both men glancing at each other before getting up and following her outside.

"Rae…"

"Shut up Luke! Neither of you say a fucking word until I'm done! What the hell were you two thinking?! Luke I am so sick and tired of you acting like I'm a little girl whose life you have to control! I'm old enough to make my own decisions and that includes who I want in my life!"

"Rae you…"

"Shut up, I'm not finished yet! You've went _way too far_ this time Luke! What the hell were you _thinking_? Enzo has never been anything but nice to me and trust me I gave him plenty of reasons myself to be a asshole but he never has been! In the short time I've known him he has treated me far better than you _ever_ did!" Rae shouted, finally turning her attention to Tama.

"Lynn I…"

"Not another _word_! I don't know what I have to do or say to get it through your head but we're over Tama! You made your decision when you chose my brother over me!"

"I didn't do that!"

"The hell you didn't! You broke up with me in the first place because you didn't want to ruin your friendship with my brother. Those were your _exact_ words! I was heartbroken in the beginning because I really did love you but I've moved on with my life and you need to leave me the hell alone!" Her phone chimed but she ignored it, focusing her attention on the two men in front of her. "I'm only going to tell the both of you this _one time_ so you better listen. I don't want anything to do with either of you again! I don't want you two near me or Cori and unless it's work related Luke I don't want either of you near Enzo and Cass again or so help me I'll _kill you_!"

"Dammit, voicemail again! Where the hell is she?" Cori asked, pacing back and forth. "I'm going to go look for her. I…"

"There's no need. I'm right here." Rae said, walking into the room and Cori spun to look at her.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"I had something I had to take care of. How is he?"

"He's sleeping now. I gave him a couple of aspirin and set him up with an ice pack for his ribs. I don't think anything is broken but he's going to be sore for a while. He kept asking for you though." Cass informed her and she nodded.

"Why don't you two go ahead and go to lunch? I'll stay here with him and call you if we need anything."

"Are you sure Rae? Cass and I can stay here and order room service."

"I'm sure. We'll be fine I promise. Just bring us back something to eat." Rae said, smiling a little when Cori hugged her.

"Call us if you need _anything_ at all."

"I will, don't worry. You two go have a good time." She waited until she heard them leave before she walked over to the bed and carefully sat down next to Enzo. "I am _so sorry_." Rae whispered, brushing his hair back and leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

Enzo cracked one eye open and smirked. "Told ya before baby…my lips are lower than that." He whispered, grabbing her hand and tugging her down. "Lay with me."

"I don't want to hurt you Enzo. I'll just sit right here."

"You won't, don't worry. Now come on." He kept tugging at her until she finally gave in and let him pull her down next to him. "Do me a favor baby?"

"What?"

"Don't blame yourself for this and don't push me away again either okay?"

"But Enzo…"

"I don't want to hear it. This was on them and not you. I don't blame you for any of it so don't ya go blamin' yourself. Now try to rest okay? I'm gonna sleep for a while longer but I want you right here with me."

Rae smiled and rested her head on his chest. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Good." Enzo replied and soon they were both fast asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Rae sat down in a lounge chair next to Cori and pulled her sunglasses on. "I can't believe I actually let you guys talk me into coming here."

"Come on Rae, don't get like that. You know Enzo needed some time to heal up so Hunter sent him and Cass home for a few days."

"I know that. I just can't believe he practically ordered us to go too and we don't even work for the WWE!"

Cori laughed and turned over on her stomach. "Not yet at least."

"Are you really considering his offer?"

"I'm thinking about it. I don't know about actually getting in the ring and wrestling though...wonder if he'd consider letting us just valet?"

Rae leaned back and looked up at the beautiful blue sky. "Might be worth asking him. If you…" Rae's words were cut off by cold water being dumped over her head and she screamed in shock. "Enzo Amore! Hurt or not I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Oh come on baby! You were sittin' there lookin' so hot that I thought you needed coolin' off." He was trying his hardest to look innocent and Rae couldn't help but laugh.

"You're an evil, evil man. Where's Cass?"

"Right here." Cass stepped out of the house to the patio and Rae smiled when she heard Cori sigh.

"Down girl." Rae whispered causing Cori to giggle.

"Did you need something Rae?" Cass asked, sitting down on the lounge chair on Cori's other side.

" _I_ don't need anything from _you_ but I think Cori…"

" _Rae_!" Cori exclaimed, throwing her towel and hitting Rae in the head. "I think what she actually wanted is to talk to you and Enzo about is Hunter's offer."

Enzo lifted Rae's legs and sat down on her chair, allowing her legs to rest on his. "You're considerin' it?"

"In a way. We were thinking about seeing what he'd say about us being valets for now and possibly training to wrestle at a later time."

"I don't see what the problem would be with that." Cass said, tapping Cori on the shoulder and when she turned to look at him he motioned her over. "Come sit with me."

Cori got up and walked over to him, smiling when Cass pulled her into his lap. "You guys wouldn't mind having a couple of amateur valets around then?"

"Not if they look like you two." Enzo began massaging Rae's foot and he smiled when she quickly pulled away. "Ticklish baby?"

"Yes and don't you even think about it." Rae heard Cori giggle and turned to see Cass whispering in her ear. "Come on you two...take it inside!"

Cori stuck her tongue out at Rae then jumped when Cass playfully bit her shoulder. "Actually Rae...you might have a good idea after all." She stood up and looked down at Cass. "You coming?"

"Hell yeah! Later guys!" Cass jumped up, lifting Cori off her feet and carrying her into the house.

Cori squealed with laughter that quickly turned into a moan as Cass laid her down on the bed and covered her body with his.

"You sure you're okay with this sweetheart? I don't want to rush you."

"Shut up and kiss me Cass."

"Yes ma'am." He growled, kissing her passionately, his hands caressing her sides.

Cori moaned and arched against him, her fingernails lightly scratching over his chest. "Cass…"

"What sweetheart? Tell me what you want."

"You Cass. I want you."

"You be alright out here for a minute baby? I need to run inside."

"Sure, go ahead." Rae lifted her feet and watched as Enzo disappeared in the house.

Cori lifted her head and watched as Cass kissed a trail down her stomach. Both of them jumped in surprise when the bedroom door flew open. "What the hell!"

Cass turned around and growled. "Enzo get out!" He picked up a pillow and threw it at Enzo who ducked out of the room, his laughter following. "Dammit! I'm going to kill him!"

Rae heard Enzo laughing and watched as he went into the kitchen. "Enzo?"

"Enzo you're a dead man!"

"Oh, shit!" Rae jumped up and ran into the house just as Cass came storming out of the bedroom, Cori following closely behind. "Cori! What happened?"

"That freaking idiot came barging into the bedroom!"

"Oh hell. Can you keep Cass from killing him? I'll take care of Enzo."

Cori nodded and both women ran into the kitchen. "Cass let go of him!"

"Cass please!" Rae pleaded with him.

"Cass come on babe...we'll go over to your place okay? Just let go of Enzo." Cori said, resting her hand on his arm. Both she and Rae sighed in relief when he finally let go. "We'll talk to you guys later."

Rae waited until Cori and Cass left before turning her attention to Enzo. "What the _hell_ were you thinking?!"

"It was a joke! I didn't think he'd get that pissed about it!"

Rae shook her head and walked over to him. "If you were just about to get laid and he barged in on you and ruined the mood wouldn't you be pissed too?"

"Shit. Maybe I better go apologize."

"Let him cool off for a while. Why don't we go sit in the hot tub?"

Enzo smiled and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close. "Naked?"

"Don't push your luck Amore." Rae began to pull away but he held on and pulled her into a kiss.

"I been lucky since the day I met you baby."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Come on." Rae took his hand and they walked out on the patio as she did her best to ignore her racing heart.

"Cori I am _so_ sorry he pulled that shit."

"It's fine Cass. I've learned to expect stuff like that from him so it's no big deal...I'm just glad we were both still dressed." Cori said and Cass chuckled.

"You got a point there. I definitely would've killed him then."

"And I would've let you. What do you say to the idea that you take me to your bedroom and we finish what we started? No interruptions this time."

Cass growled and scooped her up in his arms causing Cori to laugh. "I'd say I love the way your mind works. Let's go."

Enzo took his shirt off and tossed it on a chair, following Rae into the hot tub. "Now this is what I'm talkin' about. What are ya doin' sittin' all the way over there? Come here baby." He grabbed Rae's hand and pulled her next to him. "That's better."

"Enzo? I think we need to talk."

"Uh oh. That ain't somethin' a man ever likes to hear. What's on your mind baby?"

"I've been thinking a lot since our date and I've come to a decision."

"Oh? What decision is that?"

Rae took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you remember what you told me after you asked me out the first time and I said no?"

Enzo thought back for a minute until he figured out what she was talking about. "Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"I think you know why."

"Possibly but I wanna hear you say it baby. Tell me you're mine just like I said you would be."

"I...I'm yours Enzo."

"Damn right you are baby and don't ya forget it." He pulled her in his arms and kissed her, both of them happier than they had been in quite a long time.


	19. Chapter 19

Cori and Cass walked into Enzo's house the next morning. "Awfully quiet in here...Enzo must still be asleep." Cori whispered and Cass chuckled.

Cass motioned her to a bedroom in the back of the house and he smiled. "Look." Enzo and Rae were asleep on the bed, tangled in a pile of limbs. "They're both still pretty much dressed so he must not have gotten lucky last night."

"Let's let them sleep and go see what he has for breakfast." Cori took Cass' hand and pulled him toward the kitchen. She began looking through the refrigerator and giggled when Cass grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him. "Didn't you get enough last night?"

"Never." Cass spun her around and leaned down to kiss her as he backed her up to the kitchen counter. He pulled away long enough to lift her off her feet and set her on the counter, knocking off a bowl of fruit and sending it crashing to the floor. "Shit!"

Rae jerked awake, her head coming off Enzo's chest. "Enzo wake up!" She whispered, shaking him a little.

"Huh? Wha...what's the matter baby?"

"Shhh! I just heard something. Sounded like it came from the kitchen."

Enzo was immediately out of bed and he grabbed a baseball bat he kept in the closet. "Stay here, don't move!"

"Be careful!"

He walked out of the bedroom and quietly made his way to the kitchen, bat poised at the ready.

Cori moaned, holding Cass' head in place as he nibbled on her neck. A sound drew her attention and she cried out in surprise when she saw Enzo step into the room holding a bat. "Dammit!" She pushed Cass away and grabbed her shirt, quickly covering her bare chest.

"Shit! Sorry! Sorry!" Enzo dropped the bat and covered his eyes as he backed out of the room only to run into the door frame. "Ah, shit! Ouch!"

Cori pulled her shirt over her head, burying her face in her hands as she began to laugh.

Rae came running in and stopped, realizing what happened. "Oh my God! The kitchen you two? Really?!"

"You two were in bed asleep! How did we know Babe Ruth over there would come running in here?"

"Next time don't break anything!" Rae replied, laughing.

"It was an accident!" Cori huffed, pouting a little as she hopped off the counter. "Enzo you alright?"

"Fine. Is it safe to look yet?" He asked, his hands still covering his face.

"Yeah, it's fine Zo." Cass said, chuckling.

"I'm sorry man, I never meant to…"

"Enzo it's okay. It was our fault really. Sorry about waking you guys up."

"No big deal. Let Enzo and I get dressed for the day and we'll figure out something to do for breakfast." Rae started down the hall but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Cori standing there. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you...we need to talk." The two women walked to the guest room and Cori shut the door behind them. "What's up with you and Enzo? Cass and I saw you two this morning."

Rae blushed and pulled out a pair of jeans from the dresser. "After you and Cass left last night we talked and...we're together now."

"Really? That's great Rae! What made you change your mind about getting into a relationship?"

"Enzo did actually. You know that I didn't want a damn thing to do with any man let alone one who...is so not my type but he showed me that there are still good men left out there."

"I kept telling you that there were. Guess you just had to discover it on your own. He's a good guy Rae and I have no doubt that he'll treat you right. I really am happy for you." Cori stated, the two hugging.

"So you and Rae finally huh?" Cass asked as he and Enzo cleaned up the broken bowl and fruit off the floor.

"Yeah man. I honestly never thought she'd give me a chance though with all the shit she's been through." The doorbell rang and Enzo looked at Cass in confusion. "Who the hell could that be this early?" He and Cass walked out of the kitchen at the same time Rae and Cori came out of the bedroom.

"Who's at the door?"

"No clue baby but I'm about to find out." He opened the door and flew backwards as he was punched in the face.

"Where the hell is my sister Amore?!"

"Luke what the hell!" Rae ran to Enzo's side to check on him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah baby I'm good. He took me by surprise more than anything."

"Rae get away from him!"

She turned to glare up at her brother and she growled. "Luke I fucking warned you that I would _kill_ you!" Rae stalked towards him until somebody grabbed her around the waist.

"Easy baby, come on now."

"Let go of me Enzo!"

"No, now stop it!" The authority in his voice gave her pause and made her shiver as she looked over to Cori for help.

"Enzo let go of her."

"No. She'll…"

"She won't do anything trust me but you need to let go of her." Finally he let go of her and Rae took a deep, shaky breath. "You okay Rae?"

"Yeah, fine. Just...dammit." Rae mumbled, blushing. "How the hell did you find me Luke?"

"Your cellphone. Now get your shit together and let's go."

"My cell...you've got a fucking tracker on my phone?!"

"Yes! Now for the last time…get your shit and let's go! You too Cori!"

"Fuck you! Rae and I aren't going anywhere. We're staying right here where we want to be Luke. There's nothing you or my brother can do about that. I'm with Cass and I don't give a shit what you guys think about it." Cori snapped, stepping up to Luke. "We've allowed you two to think you can run our lives for far too long and it stops now! Get out of here and don't ever come back! You can tell Karl the same thing." She caught him off guard and pushed him back, slamming the door in his face.

"I need a new phone and you better get one too Cori." Rae pulled out her cellphone and turned it off while Cori did the same thing. "I can't believe they went so far as to put trackers on us."

"I can. They'll do anything to try to control us."

"It stops today I promise you that." Rae vowed, turning to look at Enzo. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine baby, really. Are _you_ okay? You kinda freaked out on me there for a minute."

Rae blushed and quickly looked away. "I'm fine."

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to eat!" Cass said and Cori laughed.

"You're always ready to eat."


	20. Chapter 20

"You feel like goin' out tonight baby?" Enzo asked, looking up at Rae as he laid with his head in her lap while her fingers played with his hair.

"Not really. Do you?"

"No. Hey! I know it probably sounds immature but I got plenty of alcohol...how about you call Cass on my phone and see if him and Cori want to come over. We'll order pizza and play a drinkin' game or somethin'."

"Sounds good to me." Rae took his cellphone and found Cass' number in his contacts.

" _What do you want Zo?"_

"Actually it's Rae. Enzo wanted me to call you and see if you and Cori wanted to come over for pizza and drinking games."

" _Sure. Give us about half an hour."_

"Okay, see you soon." Rae hung the phone up and handed it to Enzo. "They'll be over in about thirty minutes."

"Good. Gives us plenty of time to do this." He reached up and pulled her down into a kiss.

"Where are we going?" Cori asked, running her hand up and down Cass' bare chest as they laid in bed together.

"Zo wants us to come over for pizza and drinking games. We'd better get ready."

Rae moaned as Enzo pulled her on his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck. "We'd better stop Enzo...they're going to be here any minute."

"But I don't wanna stop." Enzo whispered, running his teeth along her neck.

"Enzo…" Rae sighed in pleasure, both jumping when the doorbell rang. "See, I told you." She got up off his lap and adjusted her shirt before going and opening the door.

"Hey. We're...oh my God Rae you have a huge hickey on your neck!" Cori exclaimed, laughing as she and Cass walked into the house.

" _What_? Dammit Enzo!"

"Sorry baby I couldn't resist. You loved every second of it anyway." He said, winking at her as he stood up.

"That's not the point!" Rae's face turned beet red as she grabbed Cori by the hand and tugged her towards the kitchen.

"Looks like you two were having a good time before we got here."

"Oh shut up."

"Did you guys…"

"No! We came damn close though." Rae mumbled, a smile on her face.

"So, what are we playing?" Cori asked as the four of them sat down with shot glasses and a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels.

"How about Never Have I Ever?"

"That'll be fun. I'll probably be the only one sober." Cori boasted and Rae rolled her eyes.

"Oh really? I'll go first then Rae...we'll go by couples."

"Fine with me. Take your best shot Amore."

"Too easy. Never Have I Ever...slept with Cass." Enzo said, smirking and Cori growled.

"Damn you." Cori muttered, throwing back her shot.

"My turn. Never Have I Ever...fantasized about someone in this room while masturbating."

"You people fucking suck!" Cori took another shot then gasped when Enzo downed his shot. "Ha! Now what do you have to say about that Rae?"

"Not a damn thing. Your turn Cass." Rae mumbled, her face turning red.

"Never Have I Ever used an ex as a booty call."

"Shit." Enzo downed his shot, smiling at Rae when she did the same. "Really baby?"

"It was one time."

"My turn. Oh, this will be fun. Never Have I Ever fully submitted to a person I slept with."

"You bitch." Rae hissed, downing her shot as she avoided Enzo's gaze.

"Okay, let's see here. Never Have I Ever had a threesome with my best friend." Enzo stated, both he and Cass watching in shock as Rae and Cori downed their shots. " _What_?! Oh, I have to hear about this one!"

"It was years ago Enzo."

"It wasn't that long ago Rae. We had just graduated." Cori stated, smiling when Rae glared at her.

"Do go on sweetheart. I'm dying to hear this as much as Zo is."

"We had just graduated and decided to reward ourselves with a trip to Amsterdam. One night we went to a local wrestling show then to a bar afterwards and some of the wrestlers happened to be there. We hung out with one in particular and the three of us ended up back at his place."

"Anybody we'd know?"

"Actually...he just got signed to a deal in WWE last year." Cori replied and Rae groaned in embarrassment.

"Who?"

"He goes by the name Aleister Black now."

"Seriously?! We just worked out with him at the Performance Center not too long ago!" Cass exclaimed and Cori giggled.

"Relax babe. Rae and I aren't looking for a repeat performance with him or anything. It's just something that happened. Right Rae?"

"Of course." Rae saw the look on Cass' face and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was jealous about Cori sleeping with Aleister but he was doing his best not to show it. "Maybe we ought to call it a night guys. I'm pretty tired."

"You sure baby?"

"Yeah. I'm ready for bed." She told him, winking and he growled.

"Now that you mention it...I'm ready for bed too."

"I think that's our cue to leave sweetheart." Cass chuckled, standing up and pulling Cori to her feet.

"Yeah. Actually I'm pretty tired myself. See you guys tomorrow!" Cori called out, dragging Cass out of the house.

"You really ready for bed baby?"

"No but I think Cass was a little upset about the Aleister thing so I figured I'd make that excuse so Cori could take him home and show him that he has nothing to worry about."

Enzo grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close and kissing her. "You goin' to show me I got nothin' to worry about baby?"

"Come to bed and find out."

"Cass?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you mad at me because of the thing with Aleister?" Cori asked, climbing into bed next to him.

Cass sighed and pulled her into his arms. "No sweetheart I'm not mad. Just...jealous I guess. I don't like the thought of you in bed with another man."

"Babe it was a one time thing I swear. You have _nothing_ to be jealous of. I'm with you now and I have no interest whatsoever in being with any other man."

"I hope not sweetheart cause I don't share."

"Yeah? Well neither do I big man...remember that." She said and Cass chuckled as he turned out the lights.


	21. Chapter 21

Rae looked up from the paper at Cori, reluctance written on her face. "Are we sure about this?"

"I am. You need to decide for yourself if it's what you want or not. No one is going to force you to sign hun." Cori replied and Rae nodded.

"You're right." Without another thought, Rae signed the contract and slid it across the desk to Hunter.

"Great! I'm really happy you decided to sign Miss Gallows...I assure you that it's a decision you won't regret." He stood up and shook hands with Rae and Cori. "Welcome to the WWE ladies."

"Zo stop pacing back and forth man! You're making _me_ nervous."

"Sorry Cass...I'm just worried about Rae not signin'. She was havin' second thoughts about it."

"Did she say why?"

"No. I'm thinkin' it has to do with her brother and all that bullshit." Enzo stated, spinning around when the door to Hunter's office opened.

"Well, you guys are looking at your new valets starting tonight." Rae said, squealing in surprise when Enzo grabbed her into a hug that lifted her off her feet. "Put me down!"

Enzo chuckled and stood her back on her feet. "Sorry baby. Just happy that you signed...had me worried there for a while that you weren't goin' to."

"I was having second thoughts like I told you before but if I'm going to get out from underneath my brother's thumb then I need to start doing things to support myself."

"Oh...so _I_ had nothin' to do with your decision?" Enzo asked, pouting playfully and Rae laughed as she kissed him.

"Of course you did. I signed didn't I?"

"Good point." He looked around to see Cori and Cass talking privately a few feet away. "How about you and I go find some place quiet to celebrate your joinin' the company?" Enzo whispered causing Rae to blush.

"Lead the way Papi."

"Now where do you suppose they're sneaking off to?" Cass questioned, watching as Rae and Enzo practically ran down the hall.

"From the look I saw on Rae's face I think I have a pretty good idea. Actually…I think _they_ are the ones with the good idea. Come on babe, follow me."

A few hours later the four of them stood by the gorilla position. Rae was so lost in thought that she didn't hear anyone coming up behind her until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned around, smiling when she saw Sheamus standing there. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry lass...I didn't realize you were so deep in thought. Haven't heard from ya in a while."

"Yeah. About that…" Rae trailed off, her face turning red. "I've been meaning to call you to tell you but things have just been happening so fast. I'm actually seeing someone now."

"Oh? Is it that long haired fella I been seeing hanging around with your brother?"

"No. That's actually the ex that I mentioned to you in the past. He thinks he's here to get me back but it's not happening."

"I should hope not. Even with what little ya told me about him, you deserve better than that. If it's not him then who _are_ ya seeing?"

"That would be me." Enzo stated, walking over and throwing his arm around Rae's shoulders. "How ya doin' Sheamus?"

"Just fine fella. You take care of this one...she deserves some happiness."

Rae smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks Sheamus...for everything."

"My pleasure lass. See ya out there fella." He clapped Enzo on the shoulder then walked away.

"Everything okay baby?"

"Just fine. You already know all about him and I."

"I know and I ain't judgin' ya. Just wanted to make sure he knew exactly whose you are now. You ready to do this?"

"Not really. My stomach is going crazy...how do you guys do this all the time?" Rae asked and he laughed before giving her a quick kiss just as his and Cass' music started.

"You'll get used to it and I'll be right beside ya." Enzo assured her, the four of them making their way out to the ring.

Tama's eyes widened as he stared at the monitor in shock. "Hey guys? I think we have a _really big_ problem here."

"What is it?" Luke asked, walking over beside him. "What the _fuck_?! Karl!"

"What?!" Karl stepped out of the bathroom and growled when he saw what they were looking at. "What the _hell_ are they thinking?!"

Luke grabbed a chair and threw it across the room. "I'm going to kill those two motherfuckers!"

The noise in the arena was so deafening that Rae could barely hear herself think but as she watched Enzo work the microphone while the crowd ate up every word she suddenly understood the love of the business.

"This is absolutely insane!" Cori marveled when she was close enough to Rae to whisper.

"Tell me about it."

The match began soon enough and the two women watched in awe as the men in their lives put it all in the ring. Sadly it ended for Enzo and Cass when Enzo was forced to tap to the Sharpshooter.

Once Enzo was able to roll out of the ring Rae ran over to help him. "You okay?"

"My back…" He groaned, wrapping a arm around her shoulders and leaning against her. "Cass?"

Rae turned to see Cori checking on Cass. "Cori has him. Let's worry about getting you to the back." The four of them made their way backstage, Enzo stopping to lean against the wall and catch his breath. "Are you sure you're okay Papi?"

"Nothin' serious...just gonna be sore as hell tomorrow."

"Why don't you go get a shower and get changed? We'll go to the hotel, order some room service and I'll give you a back rub." She suggested, smiling when he sighed.

"Baby you got yourself a deal. No takin' advantage of me though...I'm a very sore man."

"I think I'll be able to control myself Papi. The question is...will you?"


	22. Chapter 22

Cori was making her way back to the room she shared with Cass when someone grabbed her arm. She spun around and saw her brother standing there. "Karl! What the hell?"

"I was just about to ask you the same fucking question Cori! What the hell were you and Rae doing out there with those idiots last night?"

"Our jobs. Now let go of me!" She tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp but he just tightened his hold.

"What do you mean your _job_? You don't work for the company!"

"As of yesterday both Rae and I do. Now let go of me Karl, you're hurting me!"

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" Someone called out and they both looked to see Tommy Dreamer walking towards them. "Let go of her Anderson!"

Karl smiled and released Cori's arm. "Dreamer thank God! I don't know what you're doing here but I'm glad you are. Maybe _you_ can talk some sense into her!"

"Sense about what? Are you okay Cori?" He took her hand in his and inspected her arm.

"I'm fine. My brother is just being a complete asshole because he hates the guy I'm dating."

"Because he's a piece of shit! Dammit Cori you were taught better!"

"Hey, come on now! Why don't you back off and let me talk to her?"

"Sure man. I'll talk to you later Cori." Karl said and he walked down the hall.

"Tommy if you're going to start lecturing me about Cass you might as well save your breath."

"Cori you're a grown woman and if he's who you want to be with then that's your decision. I just said that shit to get Karl to leave you alone."

She laughed and gave him a quick hug. "Thank God. What are you doing here anyway? Not that it's not good to see you."

"Meeting with the higher ups today. Where's your room?"

"Right down here." They made their way down the hall to her room and she opened the door to see Cass just pulling a shirt over his head. "Hey babe! Look who found me in the hall."

Cass saw Tommy and his whole body tensed. "Hey...how are you?"

"Fine. Just helping Cori deal with her brother."

Cass glanced at Cori who smiled up at him as she walked over to give him a hug. "What happened?"

"He cornered me in the hall all pissed off about Rae and I being on the show last night."

"You okay sweetheart?" Cass relaxed, sensing no threat from Dreamer and he leaned down to give Cori a kiss.

"Fine. My arm is a little sore from where he grabbed me but it's no big deal."

Rae sat on the bed, stretching as she watched Enzo get dried off from his shower. "How's your back this morning Papi?"

"Much better thanks to those magic fingers of yours. I see you watchin' me baby...see somethin' you like?"

"Maybe." Rae replied, squealing in surprise when he pounced on the bed. "You're crazy you know that?"

"Yeah but I'm _your_ kinda crazy ain't I baby?" He slid up the bed, pushing her onto her back as he covered her body with his.

She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "How long do we have before we have to leave to catch our flight?"

"We got enough time for a little lovin' if that's what you're askin'."

"That's _exactly_ what I'm asking."

Karl walked into his hotel room, a big smile on his face. "Well, part of our problem is solved."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked as both he and Tama stared at Karl in confusion.

"I was into it with Cori about that bullshit last night when of all people Dreamer showed up."

"Dreamer? What the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know and I really don't care. All I know is that if anyone is going to be able to talk some sense into Cori then he's the one. Now if you'd just do your fucking job and get Rae away from that other idiot we'd be fine."

"Don't worry brother, I got it covered." Tama vowed, a new plan forming in his mind.


	23. Chapter 23

"You shake any harder baby and you'll have the whole plane movin'." Enzo whispered to Rae who glared at him.

"Shut up. I hate flying and you know that." She caught a glimpse of someone as they walked past her and she looked at Cori across the aisle who was looking in the same direction. "Was that…"

"I didn't get a good look but it sure as hell looked like him from what I could see. What would he be doing on this flight though?"

"I have no clue." Rae responded, stretching around to see if she could spot anyone. "If it was him I don't see him now."

"What do you think this meeting is all about?" Rae asked Cori as the four of them drove to the arena.

"No clue but I guess we'll find out soon enough." They pulled into the parking lot, got out of the vehicle and got their bags before making their way inside.

"Do you want us to go with you baby? She may not let us sit in with ya but we can wait outside."

"No, that's okay. You and Cass go on ahead to the locker room and Cori and I will catch up with you guys when we're done." She gave Enzo a kiss and waited while Cori gave one to Cass before the two women went in search of Stephanie's office.

"There it is." Cori pointed to a door a few feet away and took a deep breath before knocking on it.

"Come in!" Stephanie called out, smiling when Cori and Rae walked in. "There you are...glad you could make it." She stood and shook hands with both women. "Have a seat ladies. We're just waiting on one other person to join us."

There was a knock on the door and it opened up, the man now known as Aleister Black striding into the room.

"Holy shit it was you!" Cori exclaimed before quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment as he laughed.

"Cori! Rae! Never thought I'd see you two ladies again." Aleister pulled them both into a hug while Stephanie looked on in confusion.

"You three know each other?"

Aleister chuckled as both Cori and Rae blushed a little. "I met them a few years back when they were celebrating their graduation in Amsterdam."

"I see. Well, that's great actually because the reason I asked for this meeting today ladies is that I know Hunter tried to convince you to give NXT a shot but neither of you were interested. I was hoping I could change your minds because we already have a plan for you Miss Anderson."

"A plan? For me?"

"Yes. We'd like you to start training immediately then once we feel you're ready we'd like to stick you in a program with Aleister."

Cori looked back and forth between Stephanie and Aleister in complete shock. "Rae and I just started working with Cass and Enzo though."

"You would continue to do so until we felt you were ready to get into the ring and then we would figure out a way to break you away from them."

"I see." Cori said, turning to look at Rae. "What do you think?"

"It's completely up to you. While I appreciate the offer...it's still not something I'm interested in doing right now but I know it's something you've always wanted to do."

"True." Cori replied, turning then to Aleister. "What do you think about it?"

"If it were anyone else I may not like the idea but as it stands? It might be fun. It's like Rae said though, it's your decision."

"I've been training on and off for years with Karl and Luke so if I do decide to do it then the wait might not be as long. Would it be alright if I took some time to think about it and talk to Cass?"

"Of course. Just let me know as soon as possible what you decide. Are you sure I can't change your mind?" Stephanie questioned, looking at Rae who shook her head.

"As of right now no. I'm happy doing what I'm doing and my relationship with Enzo has been...difficult to say the least and we're in a good place right now so I don't want to do anything to put that in jeopardy."

"I understand. If you ever change your mind though please let me know. Cori I look forward to hearing from you soon."

"Yes ma'am." Cori and Rae both stood and shook hands with her before walking out of the office with Aleister.

"They been gone a while." Enzo stated, glancing at the clock.

"You want to walk up that way?"

"Nah. We…" He stopped talking when the door opened and Rae, Cori and Aleister walked in. "There ya are baby. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just fine."

"Can we go talk in private for a few minutes?" Cori asked Cass and he nodded, barely taking his eyes off Aleister.

"Sure sweetheart."

Aleister watched them walk out of the room then he turned to Rae. "By the death glare he was giving me…I take it he knows about that night?"

"Yeah and I think it made him a little jealous too. Enzo knows too but he…"

"I pretty much take you out of the equation when thinking about it."

"Enzo!" Rae exclaimed, slapping his shoulder while he and Aleister laugh.

"You're upset aren't you?"

"More like confused. What is he doing here?" Cass asked and Cori sighed.

"He was part of the meeting with Stephanie. She asked Rae and I again to consider going to NXT to train."

"And?"

"Rae told her no. She's having too much fun working like she is plus she doesn't want to put a strain on her relationship with Enzo."

"What about you sweetheart?" They stop walking and Cass takes her in his arms, smiling when she cuddles against his chest.

"Me I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong I'm having a blast working with you guys too but I've always wanted to get in the ring. I told Stephanie I'd think about it, talk to you and get back to her. What do you think?"

"If I'm being honest? I don't want you to do it but I guess that's just me being selfish. It's really your decision and I'll support you in whatever you choose."

"Even if you don't like my decision?"

"Even then."

"Thanks babe, I appreciate it. I haven't given it much thought yet but we'll talk about it some more later."

Cass smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "As long as you include me in on the decision."

"Always big man...always."


	24. Chapter 24

Rae glanced over at Cori who was jogging on the treadmill beside her and laughed. "You know Cori...we might be able to get through this workout a lot sooner if you'd concentrate instead of staring at Cass while he works out."

"Please! Like you weren't stripping Enzo down with your eyes just a few minutes ago."

"You do have a point." Rae replied, smiling when she saw a familiar face enter the gym. "Well, look who it is."

Cori spotted Aleister and waved at him as he made his way over. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Good. Glad to see you actually...have you given anymore thought to Stephanie's offer?"

"Some, yeah but I haven't come up with a straight answer yet."

Cass stopped mid-rep when he saw who Cori was talking to. "Ah, shit. What's he doing here?"

"Who?" Enzo asked then he spotted who Cass was talking about and he chuckled. "Man stop worryin'! They're just talkin'. I highly doubt they're gonna try to go at it here in the middle of the gym...unless Cori's into that sorta thing."

"Shut up Zo. How come this shit doesn't bother you?"

"Rae's past is her past...nothin' I can do about it. Besides all that? It's my bed she's in every night and it's my name she's screamin'."

Rae heard what Enzo said and turned to glare at him. "I heard that Amore!"

He smiled and winked at her. "Only speakin' the truth baby!"

"Jackass." Rae mumbled, trying her best to look pissed off but she was failing miserably. "Remind me again why I put up with that?"

"Cause he's good in bed?" Cori pointed out and Rae sighed.

"Yeah...there is that."

"Thank ya baby!" Enzo called out and Rae rolled her eyes.

"Concentrate on your workout and mind your own business."

"That pus…"

"Enzo!" Rae slowed her treadmill until it was safe to stop it completely then she walked over to Enzo "Behave yourself! Cass stop looking like you want to rip Aleister's head off...what happened with us was a one time thing. Trust me you have nothing to worry about."

"You're sure?" He whispered and Rae smiled as she patted his arm.

"Trust me big man, she's happy with you."

Cass nodded and he sighed. "What do I do if she decides to go through with this NXT thing?"

"If she does then you support her and trust in her enough to believe that your relationship is strong enough to get through it. She adores you and she won't do anything to mess that up."

"He doesn't like me very much does he?"

"It's not so much you as it is the fact that we've slept together. His ex did a number on his emotions and he's worried it'll happen again."

"You guys haven't been together long then?" Aleister asked and Cori shook her head.

"No which is why I can understand his worry. I'll think some more about Stephanie's offer though and I'll let you know even before I let her know."

"Good. I really hope you decide to do it...I think it'd be fun."

Cori watched him walk away then she turned to smile at Cass who had made his way over. "Hey babe. You okay?"

"I will be as soon as I work through my shit. Sweetheart...if you want to go through with this then do it."

"I don't know if I want to yet or not but once I figure it out you'll be the first to know."

Cass smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss once she got off the treadmill. "Want to go upstairs with me?"

"After spending the last two hours watching you workout? You'd better believe it."


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning Cori stepped out of the bathroom after having taken a shower and stopped in her tracks when she saw Cass sitting on the bed. "Oh...my...God."

Cass looked up from his phone to see her staring at him. "Sweetheart what is it?"

"You...you wear glasses?"

"Not all the time no. I forgot to get some new contacts so I had no choice. Why? Is that a problem?"

"A problem? No! Could I ask you a favor?" Cori dropped her towel and walked over to climb on the bed beside him.

Cass chuckled as he finally figured out what was going on. He grabbed her around the waist and flipped over so that she was now pinned under him. "Ask away."

"Two favors actually...wear those more often please?"

"Anything you'd like. The second favor?" He leaned down and nipped at her throat causing her to moan.

"Fuck me...now!"

"Never thought you'd ask."

Just as Cass stood up to take his clothes off there was a knock at the door and Cori growled. "Whoever that is better be ready to die!"

Cass laughed and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "I'll make it up to you I promise. Now cover that gorgeous body so I can answer the door."

"Dammit!" Cori got up and threw a shirt and a pair of shorts on while Cass answered the door. "I should've known!" She grumbled as Cass opened the door and Enzo stepped inside. "You have really shitty timing you know that? I swear you have some kind of alarm that must go off in your head that tells you the perfect time to interrupt us!"

"What did I do?!"

"Cori really likes my glasses and was just about to show me how much when you knocked on the door." Cass explained, chuckling a little.

"Shit...sorry Cori. I needed to talk to you though and since Rae went shoppin' I figured now would be the perfect time."

"Talk to me about what?"

Enzo looked at Cass who sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do ya mind?"

"No I'll just go take a shower." Cass grabbed his clothes and gave Cori a kiss before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Everything okay Enzo? What do you need to talk to me about?"

"The other night at my place during the game you put a question out that Rae had to drink to and it's been on my mind ever since."

Cori sat down on the bed and motioned for him to sit beside her. "Which one?"

"The one about fully submittin' to a person she slept with."

"You don't know about that? Shit...she's hiding herself again."

"What do you mean hidin' herself?" Enzo asked, completely confused.

"Rae is a very submissive person. I know it may not seem that way but there's certain...areas of her life she likes to have Dominated."

"You mean…"

"Yes. I'm not surprised she's hiding it either…it's not that she's ashamed of it, don't get me wrong. It's just not something she flaunts because the lifestyle is still not greatly accepted or understood." Cori explained and he whistled. "Don't think differently of her Enzo. I'm sure that's why she hasn't told you...she's afraid of what you might think of her."

"I do think differently of her but trust me...it's not in any way negative." Enzo gave her a kiss on the cheek and stood up. "Thanks for talkin' to me." He practically ran out of the room and Cori laughed.

"Oh Rae...you're in for it now hun."

The bathroom door opened and Cass stuck his head out. "Is it alright to come out now?"

"Yeah, he's gone."

"What was that all about? Everything okay with him and Rae?"

"Everything's fine. He just needed to ask me something about her and he didn't want anyone to overhear because it's a personal matter of Rae's."

Cass nodded and sat down beside her on the bed. "I didn't get dressed yet and we don't have anywhere to go so how about we make up for that interruption?"

"You read my mind."

Rae walked into the room she shared with Enzo and smiled when she saw him sitting on the bed watching TV. "Hey. Could you help me with…"

"Put the packages down baby."

"What? I…"

"Put them down." Enzo stated again and he smirked when she quickly set them on the floor.

"Enzo what…"

"Come here." Rae's eyes widened as she walked over and stood in front of him. "Good girl baby. Ya know…while you were gone I had the most interestin' conversation with Cori."

"What about?"

"A question you drank to durin' the game at my house. Seems you been hidin' somethin' from me."

"I haven't hid anything from you!"

Enzo smirked and walked forward, moving her backwards until her back hit the wall and she had no place to go. "See...I think you have. There's a part of yourself that you're hidin' from me and that stops now. Understood?"

"Enzo I…"

He growled and pressed his body against hers as he brought his right hand up to grab a handful of her hair. "Is that understood?"

Rae moaned and arched against him. "Yes Papi."

"Good girl. Now kiss me and show me how much you missed me while you were gone."

Rae kissed him passionately, her heart hammering in her chest. "Papi…"

"That's right baby. I want you to give me everything you've been holdin' back...show me who you really are."

"Are you sure?"

"Never been more sure about anything baby."

Cass collapsed on the bed beside Cori as he tried to catch his breath. "Damn. You really do like it when I wear my glasses don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. Think you'll wear them more now?"

"Shit...after that I might just superglue them on."

Cori laughed and kissed his chest. "You won't get any argument from me."


	26. Chapter 26

Tama spotted her the minute she stepped off the elevator and he knew it was his only chance to talk to her when he saw that she was alone. "Cori!"

Cori saw Tama jogging towards her and sighed. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk to you for a minute is all."

"About what? Why are you still even here? Don't you have to wrestle somewhere or something?"

"I took some time off and I'm here because I want Lynn back." Tama stated and Cori rolled her eyes. "What's going on with her and Amore?"

"Not that it's any of your business but they're dating and she's happy for the first time in a long time so if you love her like you say you do then leave her alone and let her move on with her life."

"Well, if it isn't the side piece." A female voice spoke up from behind Cori and she turned to see Carmella standing there.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I want you to get a clue. I mean come on...you can't seriously think that Cass wants to be with you! He's too nice to tell you this honey so I'm going to do it for him...he wants me back so you need to just step out of the way. You got that?"

"Bitch please. Look…"

"No, you look! Cass is my man and whether you step out of the way or I push you out...he's going to be with me!"

Cori watched her walk away before turning back to Tama. "Leave Rae alone. She's happy and she doesn't need you screwing that up for her." She walked away before he could respond and made her way to Rae's room.

"You gonna be alright while I go down to the gym for a couple of hours baby?" Enzo asked, leaning down and giving Rae a kiss.

"I'll be fine don't worry."

"Alright. I'll be back later." He grabbed his bag and opened the door, smiling when he saw Cori standing there. "Hey! Perfect timin'. I'm just about to head down to the gym."

"I'll stay here and keep Rae company then."

"Thanks. Back soon baby!" Enzo called out, kissing Cori on the cheek before disappearing down the hall.

"What's wrong with you?" Rae asked once Cori shut the door and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Nothing. What do you mean?"

"I've known you long enough to be able to tell when something's bothering you. What's up?"

"I've really been thinking about the NXT offer and I've made a decision."

"So what are you going to do?"

Cori took a deep breath and smiled a little. "I'm going to do it."

"Seriously? Why?"

"Getting in the ring is something I've always wanted to do and you know that."

"Have you talked to Cass about it?" Rae questioned and Cori shook her head. "Why not?"

"I'm not sure how to tell him. He doesn't want me to do it at all and I don't know how he'll react when I tell him."

"Have you told Aleister or Stephanie?"

"Not yet. I want to talk to Cass about it first so I guess I better figure out a way to tell him soon." Cori said, smiling when Rae gave her a hug.

"I don't like the idea much either myself but I know it's something you've always wanted so I support you no matter what but you really need to tell Cass."

"I know. Do you care if I go ahead and go talk to him? He's already worked out this morning so he's back in our room."

"I don't mind at all. Go ahead and good luck Cori."

"Thanks. I have a feeling I'm going to need all the luck I can get."

Cass looked up from the magazine he was flipping through and he smiled at Cori as she walked into the room. "Hey sweetheart I was just about to call you."

"Cass I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay...what is it?"

Cori sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about Stephanie's offer and…I've decided that I want to do it."

"Yo...you're not serious are you?"

"Yeah I am. It's something that I really want to do babe. Can you understand that?"

"Of course I can. I don't want you to do it, you know that but I'll support you if it's really what you want to do."

"It is."

Cass nodded and leaned over to give her a kiss. "You'd better call Stephanie and let her know then."

There was a knock on the door and Rae sighed as she put her book down and got up to answer it. "What are you doing here?"

"I just want to talk to you Lynn please!"

"Everything that needs to be said between us has been said so just leave me alone!"

"Lynn please just give me five minutes...that's all I'm asking."

Rae rolled her eyes but she stepped back so he could walk in. "Five minutes is all you get Tama."

"I understand. Lynn look...I know I hurt you and I'm so sorry for that but at the time I thought I was doing the right thing for both of us. We were going so fast that I felt I needed to slow things down. I just realized way too late that I went about it the wrong way."

"You can say that again. Tama I really loved you but if you felt that we were moving too fast then you should've talked to me about it instead of using your friendship with Luke as an excuse to dump me."

"I know and I've regretted it ever since believe me." Tama admitted, reaching out to take Rae's hand in his but she quickly pulled away.

"Please don't touch me."

"Lynn I talked to Cori downstairs and she made me realize that I need to let you go and let you move on but there were some things I needed to tell you first."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm sorry for hurting you and I'm always going to love you. I also need to tell you what really brought me here in the first place."

Rae looked at him, completely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother called me and told me that you were in danger because of the new guy you were hanging around. He told me that Amore had a reputation for abusing women and he told me that I should come back here and try to get you back so that you could get away from him safely."

"What?! You can't be serious! Enzo would never lay a hand on me or any woman for that matter!" She jumped off the bed and began pacing around the room. "I can't believe he'd go that far! I'm going to fucking kill him!"

The door opened and Enzo came running in the room. "You son of a bitch!" He roared and went straight after Tama, stopping only when Rae stepped in front of him. "Baby move!"

"Just wait a minute and calm down Papi. Tama just came here to talk to me for a few minutes because he's getting ready to go back home."

Enzo stopped and looked back and forth between them. "What?"

"She's telling you the truth man. I just came here to straighten things out between us and to tell her a few things she needed to know."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that my brother has lost his fucking mind and went way too far over the line!" Tears fell from her eyes and Enzo immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Baby it's alright, I'm here now. Calm down and tell me what's goin' on."

"Maybe I'd better tell you. It'll be easier for me to get through than it would be for her. I got a call from Luke not too long ago telling me that Lynn was in danger because the guy she had started hanging out with had a reputation for being abusive to women."

"What?!" Enzo's whole body went rigid as Rae clung tighter to him.

"He knew that I still love her and that I regret what I put her through so he suggested that I come back here and try to get her back so she could safely get away from you."

"I would never lay a hand on her!"

"I realize that now. I realize that Luke was playing me because he can't stand you and he'll do anything he has to to get Lynn away from you."

Enzo growled and kissed Rae on top of the head. "He's goin' to have to try a lot harder than that cause I ain't goin' anywhere."

"He will too. Luke is extremely protective of her, he always has been."

"I'll take care of him don't worry about that. If you're tellin' us the truth and not tryin' to play us yourself then I thank you for lettin' us know. You don't have to worry about her though...I'll take good care of her." Enzo stated and Tama nodded.

"I don't doubt that. Lynn?" He waited for her to lift her head from Enzo's chest and turn to look at him. "Goodbye Lynn."

Rae untangled herself from Enzo, walked over to Tama and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye Tama."


	27. Chapter 27

Stephanie and Aleister smiled at Cori as she entered the office. "Good morning Miss Anderson. How are you?" Stephanie stood up and shook her hand.

"I'm doing good and you ma'am?"

"I'm wonderful. My secretary said that the reason you wanted this meeting is because you have reached a decision about my offer."

Cori nodded and sat down in the chair next to Aleister. "Yes ma'am, I have."

"And what have you decided?"

"If Aleister is still okay with it and willing to help me train then I'd like to accept the offer."

"Great, I'm happy to hear it! Mr. Black what do you think?"

"I still think it's a really good idea and I'd be more than happy to help you train Cori. When would you like to start?"

"Whenever you're ready. I've let everyone close to me know that I'm accepting the offer so I can arrange things to get started right away." Cori stated and Aleister nodded.

"Today's not a good day for me but what about tomorrow? I'm heading back in the morning so maybe you could check and see if there's a seat left on the same flight. We could train for a few days and still have you back here in time for Raw next week."

"That would be great. If I can't get the same flight booked then I'll get the next one out."

Stephanie pulled a contract out of a file folder and slid it towards Cori. "If you'll just sign this. It's detailed with everything we talked about in the last meeting. You'll continue to work with Enzo and Cass here on Raw while your training is taking place. In a couple of months or so you'll be evaluated and if we feel that you're ready then we will come up with a way to separate you from Enzo and Cass so you can make your debut in NXT. I realize that this may seem like going backwards to you since you'll be going from the main roster to NXT but I'm afraid it's the way things must be done."

"I understand completely and I'm more than grateful for the opportunity." Cori signed the contract, stood up and shook hands with Stephanie before walking out of the office with Aleister. "Are you _sure_ this idea is alright with you?"

"Absolutely. I'm looking forward to it."

Enzo watched Rae as she sat by the window and stared outside. "Baby?"

"Hmmm?"

"I know you're upset about this thing with your brother but you can't let it get to ya like this." He got up and walked over to her, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms.

"How can I not let it get to me? How come _you're_ not more upset about it?"

"I'm plenty upset about it baby don't ever doubt that but your brother is desperate and he's graspin' at straws. Anyone he tried to sell that bullshit to that knows me will know well enough that it's a lie."

"That's not the point though! For him to even come up with some shit like that and try to ruin your reputation just makes me sick!"

"I know baby believe me but I'm not worried about it so you shouldn't worry about it either alright? Let's just move on and concentrate on us…leave him in the dust." Enzo said, kissing her and she smiled sadly.

"You make that sound so easy."

"Never said it'll be easy baby but we'll get through it."

"I hope you're right Papi."

"I always am. Now stop worryin' and kiss me." Rae smiled and leaned up to kiss him just as someone knocked on the door and he growled. "Dammit." He walked over and opened the door, chuckling when Cori stepped inside with Aleister. "And you accused me of havin' some kind of alarm."

Cori smiled at him and stuck her tongue out. "Serves you right for always interrupting Cass and I."

"Serves him right but what about _me_? I've never interrupted you but you killed my chances right along with his." Rae walked over and gave Aleister a hug and kiss on the cheek. "How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"I'm doing alright just trying to deal with some bullshit from my brother."

Cori sighed and rolled her eyes. "Luke is a complete asshole Rae just ignore him. Aleister and I came by to tell you guys that I signed my contract today and I'm flying out tomorrow with him to start my training."

"That soon?!"

"Yeah, the sooner I get started the better."

"Have you talked to Cass?" Enzo questioned and Cori shook her head. "Why not?"

"He wasn't in the room when I got back and there was a note from him saying that he went to the gym so I'll wait until he gets back before I tell him."

Carmella peeked into the gym and smiled when she saw Cass working out by himself. She straightened her dress and walked inside. "Hey Cass!"

Cass paused mid-rep and nodded. "Carmella."

"Where's your…girlfriend?" She asked, trying her best to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"She had a meeting with Stephanie McMahon this morning. She's going to start training and eventually start wrestling in NXT."

"Didn't she just start working with you and Enzo?"

"Yeah but this is something that she's always wanted to do. She's going to continue working with us until they feel she's ready to get in the ring full time."

Carmella clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Doesn't sound fair to you though…I mean you two _did_ just start dating and now she's going to go running off to Florida all the time to train? Doesn't seem right."

"It'll work out. I'm not worried about it." Cass lied, not willing to admit to her or anyone else that he was beginning to have doubts about whether it would actually work out or not.

"Well, I hope so for your sake! I have to get going but Cass? If you ever want to talk or anything…you know how to get a hold of me."

"Yeah. Thanks Carmella."

"No problem!" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before making her way out of the gym. Carmella stopped just out of his view and watched him start his workout again. "This is going to be _so_ easy!"


	28. Chapter 28

"Again Cori!" Aleister instructed and she groaned as she tried to catch her breath.

"I had no clue you were going to be such a drill sergeant."

Aleister chuckled and winked. "Just because I had my dick in you at one time doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you."

"Pervert." Cori grumbled as she ran the ropes again.

"Better that time. Again."

"Dammit Aleister!"

"Stop whining and do it again!" Cori flipped him off before running again. "Good! Much better. You can take a break now."

"Thank God! My back and shoulders are killing me." Cori sat down in the middle of the ring and took the bottle of water he held out to her. "Thanks."

"You're doing good. All the time you spent training with your brother really helped you out. Just have to brush up on the basics then I'll bring in some help for the more advanced shit."

"At least my brother was good for something."

"He still giving you trouble about Cass?"

"Actually I haven't heard anything from him in a few days which worries me cause who the hell knows what he's planning?" She drank the last of her water and threw the bottle in a nearby trashcan.

"Ready to get back to it?"

"I'm more ready for a nice hot shower and a soft bed."

"You can have that later. On your feet Anderson!" Aleister stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Run the ropes again."

"Asshole."

Rae's cellphone rang and she gasped when she checked to see who it was. "Oh, shit."

"Who is it baby?"

"Don't say anything I'm going to put this on speaker." She took a deep breath before hitting the button to answer the call. "Hi dad."

"Raelynn Gallows! What's this I hear about you choosing some man you barely know over your own brother?" Her dad's voice boomed over the line and Enzo looked at her in shock.

"I'm guessing it was Luke you heard that from and I'd also venture to guess that he didn't tell you the whole story."

"You tell me what you think is the whole story then because from what I'm hearing your mother and I raised you better."

Rae rolled her eyes but she couldn't help smiling when Enzo pulled her into his arms. "I met Enzo not long after Cori and I started travelling with Luke and Karl. I didn't get along with him at first but eventually we became friends."

"From what your brother told me...there's more than friendship between you."

"That didn't happen until a week or so ago. Did Luke happen to tell you that he called Tama and fed him a bunch of lies causing him to come here and start harassing me?" Rae asked even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Tama actually showed up there? What did your brother tell him to get him to do that?"

"Yes he actually showed up here...he just left yesterday after he finally figured out what Luke told him wasn't true."

"What did he tell him?"

"He fed Tama a bunch of lies by saying that I was in danger because Enzo has a reputation for abusing women which he does not. Enzo is one of the kindest, sweetest men I've met." Rae said, jumping in surprise when Enzo placed a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Why would he make up something like that Raelynn? It doesn't make any sense."

"Because he and Karl can't stand Enzo and his best friend Cass who happens to be dating Cori. Luke and Karl would do or say anything to get Enzo and Cass out of our lives and they don't like the fact that Cori and I are fighting them every step of the way to keep that from happening."

"I suppose I'd better have another talk with your brother then and find out exactly what's going on. You're not in any danger though? You'd tell me if you were, right?"

"Of course I would dad but you have nothing to worry about. I'm in no danger whatsoever."

"Okay darling. I'll call your brother and get this straightened out with him. I love you."

"Love you too dad." Rae hung up the phone and sighed. "Are you still sure you won't let me kill Luke?" She leaned back against Enzo who chuckled. "I can't believe he actually went and got our parents involved in this!"

"Like I told ya baby...he's gettin' desperate and he'll do anything to try to break us apart but I ain't gonna let that happen. You're mine remember?" Enzo growled, biting down on her shoulder and Rae moaned.

"I remember Papi. I'd better call Cori and let her know what's going on before her parents call her with this bullshit."

Cori and Aleister walked into the restaurant and sat down at a table. "Finally. I feel like I haven't eaten in days!"

"All that training you put in today it's no wonder."

"Yeah, my trainer is a real drill sergeant." Cori replied and he chuckled. Her cellphone rang and she checked it to see that it was Rae calling. "Be right back, it's Rae."

"Tell her I said hello."

Cori nodded and made her way outside. "Hello?"

"Hey, I think we're about to have a big problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I just got a call from my dad. Luke has changed tactics and is now getting our parents involved so I wouldn't be surprised if Karl done the same thing." Rae informed her and Cori sighed.

"You're right...if Luke did it so will Karl. Dammit! What did your dad say?"

"He wanted to know why I was choosing some guy I barely know over Luke. Apparently Luke didn't tell him everything though because dad had no clue Tama had been here."

"Well, no of course he wouldn't tell that part of it. I'll keep an eye out for a phone call from my parents though. Have you talked to Cass today? I tried to get a hold of him earlier but didn't get any answer."

"Not today, no. Enzo and I have been kind of antisocial today and stayed in our room."

"Yeah and I'm pretty sure I can guess what you guys have been doing too. I'll try to get a hold of him now so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Call me if you hear from your mom or dad."

"Will do." Cori disconnected the call then dialed Cass' number.

"Hello?"

Cori pulled the phone away from her to look at it in surprise when a woman answered the phone. "Who is this?"

"Carmella. Who is this?"

She quickly hung up the phone, completely confused and heartbroken. "Oh my God…"

Carmella smiled and erased the call from Cass' phone so he would have no clue Cori had even called.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Cass asked as he walked out of the bathroom of Carmella's hotel room.

"It rang so I picked it up...hope you don't mind."

"Who was it?"

"Must've been a wrong number or something. They hung up the minute I said hello. Did you get it fixed?"

"Yeah but next time a bulb blows call the front desk and tell them. It's their job to fix stuff like that. I gotta get going." He took his cellphone from her and she quickly stood up, placing a hand on his arm.

"Can't you stay for a while? We could order something to eat and watch a movie."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'll see you later Carmella."

She watched him walk out of room and shook her head. "You're not going to get away from me that easily...especially since your precious girlfriend knows that we were together tonight."

Aleister stood up, a look of concern on his face as he saw Cori walking towards him. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, just tired I guess. Do you mind if we just go? I want to go back to the hotel and get some sleep."

"Sure, let's go." Aleister threw some money on the table to cover for their drinks then he took Cori by the arm and they left the restaurant. "You sure you're alright?"

"Fine. Just more tired than I thought." Cori replied, smiling on the outside but on the inside her heart felt like it was being broken into a million pieces.


	29. Chapter 29

Carmella saw Enzo coming out of the gym and walked over to him. "Is Cass in there?"

"No. Why?"

"Not that it's any of your business but I need to talk to him."

"What you need to do is leave him alone. You did enough damage to him." Enzo stated and Carmella laughed.

"Still trying to play his protector aren't you? If I remember right it's him always having to save your ass so why don't you just mind your own damn business!"

Rae stepped out of the gym and stood next to Enzo. "Bitch you had better watch how you talk to my man or I'll smash your face in."

"Your man? Honey, he's not a man he's a…" Carmella's words were cut off by Rae tackling her to the floor. "You crazy bitch! Get the fuck off me!"

Rae growled and drew her fist back but someone grabbed her wrist and she looked over at Enzo. "Let go of me!"

"No, stop it. She's not worth it baby."

"I won't let her get away with talking about you like that!" Rae exclaimed, trying her best to pull her arm free.

"What you're goin' to do is leave her alone and go to our room with me so we can shower." He said and Rae glared at him.

"You're using it against me."

Enzo knew exactly what she was talking about and he shook his head. "No I'm not...I would never do that to ya. I'm just trying to get your mind on somethin' else besides kickin' her sorry ass."

Rae turned back to Carmella. "Consider yourself really lucky this time bitch because if you talk to him like that again there's nothing he'll be able to do or say to keep me from kicking your ass."

Enzo chuckled and pulled Rae to her feet. "Come on baby, let's go upstairs and I'll let you take all that anger out on me."

Cori stepped out of the cab, excited to see Cass again even though it had only been a couple of days since she last saw him. Something caught her eye in the restaurant next to the hotel and to her shock she saw Cass and Carmella sitting together.

"I didn't invite you to sit down Carmella. You need to go find your own table."

"Oh, come on Cass! We're both here alone so we might as well keep each other company."

"I don't…" A figure standing outside the restaurant drew his attention and he saw Cori standing there watching him. "Shit!" Cass stood up and threw some money on the table before running outside.

Carmella watched the whole thing with a smile on her face. "Awww poor Cori."

Cori saw Cass running towards her and she quickly made her way back to the cab that thankfully hadn't pulled away yet.

"Cori wait! Stop!" Cass called out and he reached for her arm.

"Don't touch me!"

"Sweetheart please wait…let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain. I came back early because I missed you and this is what I come back to? No thanks." She got in the cab and tried to pull the door closed but Cass held on to it.

"Cori don't leave. Let's go in and talk about this...please!"

"Cass let go of the door. The last thing I want to do right now is talk to you and end up saying something I might regret."

"But you'll talk to me soon...right?"

"I don't know Cass, I really don't." Cori pulled the door shut and as the cab drove away she pulled her cellphone out of her purse to text Rae. 'Where are you and Enzo?'

'Just getting back to the hotel. Why?'

'I'm in town and I really need to talk to you two. There's a park about a block from the hotel. Can you guys meet me there?'

'Be right there.'

"Enzo stop a minute." Rae spoke up and he turned to look at her.

"What is it baby?"

"Cori's here in town at a park down the street and she wants to talk to both of us."

"Let's go then."

Cori spotted Rae and Enzo and waved them over. "Hey guys." She greeted them both with a hug then they sat down at a nearby picnic table.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be back for a couple of days."

"I wasn't supposed to be but I missed Cass and decided to come back early."

"Have you seen him yet?" Enzo asked and Cori nodded.

"I saw him when I pulled up in the cab. He was at the little diner next to the hotel...having lunch with Carmella."

"What?!" Rae exclaimed, turning to look at Enzo who looked as shocked as she felt. "Did he see you?"

"Yeah. He tried to get me to let him explain things but I just didn't want to hear it."

"I'll go talk to him and find out what the hell is goin' on." Enzo stood up and gave Rae a quick kiss before making his way back to the hotel.

"Are you okay hun?"

"To be honest...at the moment I'd really like to kill both of them."

"I don't blame you. I almost killed her myself this morning."

Cori looked at Rae and couldn't help but smile a little at the look on her face. "What happened?"

"Enzo and I were leaving the gym and he had walked out ahead of me when I heard her ask him if Cass was in the gym so I hung back a little to hear what she had to say. Enzo told her to leave Cass alone because she had already done enough to him. I guess she didn't like hearing that because she started talking shit about Enzo and I pretty much lost it."

"Did you kick her ass?"

"I tried but Enzo turned into Papi and started ordering me around so I got kind of distracted." Rae replied, blushing and Cori laughed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now. I told Aleister I wouldn't be back until after Raw."

"We'll figure something out. I'll make Enzo room with Cass if I have to and you can stay with me."

"You will make him?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

Enzo knocked on Cass' hotel room door, ready to tear into him until he saw the look on Cass' face when he opened the door. "Man what the hell happened?"

"I lost her Zo, I just know it."

"What the fuck were you thinkin' havin' lunch with Carmella of all people?"

"That's just it, we weren't having lunch together! I was there by myself and she showed up and just sat down. I had been trying to get her to leave for ten minutes or more when I saw Cori watching us. Shit!"

"Damn man. What are you goin' to do?" Enzo questioned and Cass shrugged.

"What the hell can I do? Cori won't listen to a word I have to say!"

"I'll talk to Rae and explain to her what happened. Maybe she can convince Cori to talk to ya."

"Thanks Zo, I'd appreciate it."

"No problem. Just hang in there and give her some space." He clapped Cass on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

Cori and Rae walked into the hotel together. "You go on. I think I'm going to go talk to Karl."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Probably not but I just really need my brother right now." Cori stated and Rae nodded. "I'll see you later."


	30. Chapter 30

The last thing Karl ever expected when there was a knock on his hotel room door was to open it and find Cori there but that's exactly what happened as she fell crying into his arms. "Cori what is it sis? What's wrong?"

"You were right Karl, I'm sorry!"

"Right about what?"

"That Cass was going to end up hurting me. I should've listened to you!"

Karl sighed and led her over to the bed. "Sit down and tell me what happened."

"I came back from training a couple of days early to surprise him and I saw him having lunch with Carmella."

"That son of a bitch!" Karl started for the door but stopped when Cori grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? Let me go so I can go kick his ass for hurting you!"

"No Karl, don't. Please?"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because despite what happened I don't want to see him hurt." Cori admitted, sighing.

"But Cori…"

"No Karl. It's out of the question."

"Dammit."

"You really believe that Enzo?" Rae asked after he told her what Cass had told him.

"I do baby. He'd have no reason to lie to me about it. You need to talk to Cori and explain it to her.

"That's going to be damn near impossible now."

"Why's that?"

"Because she went to see Karl. God only knows what kind of shit he's filling her head with." Rae stated and Enzo groaned.

"Dammit, that's just great! What are we goin' to do now?"

"I don't know but we need to figure it out before she goes and does something she'll regret later on."

"I should've let you kick Carmella's ass." Enzo said and Rae laughed.

"That's what I tried to tell you but no you had to go all Papi on me."

"I didn't hear you complainin' once we got back here. Matter of fact the only thing I recall hearin' was you beggin' for it harder and faster."

"Enzo!" Rae picked up a pillow and hit him in the head. "Shut up."

Cass paced back and forth in his room trying to figure out how everything went to hell so fast. He'd only known Cori for a short time but he could already picture their future together. He knew he had to do something to make things right but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what that something was. There was a knock on the door and he quickly opened it, trying his best to hide his disappointment when he saw Enzo and Rae standing there. "Come on in guys. Rae I…"

"There's no need to try to explain things Cass because Enzo told me everything."

"What am I going to do?"

"Right now you need to give her some time. Let her cool off and think things through."

"Baby you'd better tell him where she is right now." Enzo stated and Rae sighed.

"What do you mean? Where is she?"

"She went to talk to Karl."

"Oh hell. He'll just love this because now he'll think he has the chance to say I told you so."

Rae walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Don't worry about it big man, things will work themselves out. Do me a favor though?"

"What?"

"Stay the hell away from Carmella."

"What are you going to do now sis?"

"I'm going to stay with Rae until after Raw and then I'm going to head back to Florida."

"You can stay here you know?"

"I know but I'd rather be with Rae right now." Cori told him and he nodded. "Thanks for listening to me and letting me cry on your shoulder."

"Anytime Cori, you know that."

"Enzo maybe you should room here with Cass and let Cori stay with me."

"I suppose that would be alright for now as long as we don't make a habit of it. Let's go back and get my stuff. I'll be back soon man."

Rae and Enzo walked out of the room and they saw Cori coming out of Karl's room. "Hey. You going to stay with me until you leave again?"

"If it's alright with you two...if not I can get my own room or stay with Karl."

"You can stay. I'm goin' to room with Cass."

Cori smiled and hugged him. "Thanks Enzo, I appreciate it."


	31. Chapter 31

A couple of days later Cori was making her way to Karl's room when she spotted him a few feet away talking to Carmella. She ducked out of sight and listened to what they were saying.

"I'm telling you Carmella, the plan is working perfectly. Just stick with it and do exactly what I tell you."

"It's not working fast enough because she's still here! I want her gone Karl. Cass is mine!"

"Just keep doing what you're doing and she'll be gone soon enough then you can have him all to yourself."

"You'd better hope so!"

Unable to believe what she just heard and sick at the thought of not listening to Cass when she had the chance, Cori ran to the elevators to go find Cass.

"Have you been sleeping at all Cass?" Rae asked and he shook his head.

"Not much really. I just wish this whole thing never would've happened!" There was a knock on the door and he walked over to open it, completely surprised when he saw who was standing there. "Cori…"

"Can we talk?"

"Yeah, come on in."

"I'll just go find Enzo and leave you two alone."

"No Rae, wait. You need to hear this too." Cori said, sighing. "I was just on my way to see Karl when I saw him standing outside his room talking to Carmella."

"What?! Why the hell would he be talking to her?" Rae asked, shocked at the revelation.

"It's all a fucking setup between them and I fell for it. Cass I am so sorry! I should've given you the chance to explain but I was just so hurt by seeing you two together."

"I understand that sweetheart but you need to learn to trust me."

"I know. Can you ever forgive me for doubting you?" She questioned and Cass nodded.

"Of course I can but I think that we need to cool things off for a while until you can learn to trust me."

"Cass!" Rae exclaimed but Cori held up her hand.

"He's right Rae. I should've trusted him but I didn't. I understand why you want things to cool off Cass but I'm not going to give up."

"I don't want you to give up sweetheart. I just think it'll be better this way so we can both work through our issues." Cass took her in his arms and held her close. "I'm going to be here no matter what and when the time is right for both of us then we'll be together again."

"Baby are you alright?" Enzo asked, watching Rae as she pushed her food around on her plate with her fork.

"Huh? Oh yeah...I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About Cori and Cass?"

"Yeah. They were doing so good then Karl had to go and pull this bullshit. Now Cori's back in Florida and Cass is here... both of them are miserable."

"They'll work it out baby, don't worry about it. Let's get out of here and go back to the hotel...you've still got some work to do makin' up those few days I had to stay with Cass." He stated and Rae laughed.

"Anything you say Papi."

"Damn right."

"Shit, that hurt." Cori groaned, rubbing her lower back.

"That's because your mind is somewhere else and you're not concentrating on what you're supposed to be doing. What the hell happened while you were gone? You haven't been the same since you came back."

"My brother pulled some bullshit again and even though technically we're still together...Cass and I are on a break because of it."

"What did Karl do this time?" Aleister asked, sitting down on the mat beside her.

"The day I got there I saw Cass having lunch with his ex...or so I assumed that's what was going on. Turns out it was all a setup between her and my brother to split us up because Karl hates the fact that I'm with Cass and Carmella wants him back. I found out it was a setup a couple of days after that and when I went to apologize to Cass he forgave me but he said that we needed to take a break until I could learn to trust him."

"I'm sorry Cori." Aleister reached out and took her hand in his causing her to smile a little. "Do you want to hold off training for a couple of days so you can get things sorted in your head?"

"Would you mind? I don't want to keep at it like this and possibly get hurt or cause you to get hurt."

"That's fine. We're on no set time limit so a couple of days won't hurt anything."

Cori nodded and stood up. "Thanks Aleister, I appreciate it. You want to go get a drink or something once we get cleaned up?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Baby aren't you ready yet?! Our reservations are in thirty minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" Rae stepped out of the bathroom and Enzo whistled.

"Damn baby!"

"Oh, stop it. You ready to go?"

"I don't know now after seein' you in that dress. Maybe we should just stay here and…"

"Oh hell no! I haven't spent the last two hours trying to get this look perfect just for you to pull that!"

Enzo chuckled and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him. "Come on baby...ain't nothin' wrong with havin' a little dessert before dinner." He brushed her hair back off her shoulders and buried his face in her neck. "Damn you smell good." He bit her neck and groaned. "You taste even better."

"Enzo come on. This was your idea, remember? You already made the plans." Rae whispered breathlessly as she held his head against her.

"Plans can change baby. I want to be buried in you so bad right now." He slid his hand under her dress to squeeze her ass and he pulled back to look at her in shock when he came in contact with bare skin. "No panties huh? I like that a lot baby. What do you say we skip dinner? We can always order some room service later if we get hungry."

"Whatever you say Papi."

"That's my girl."

"You know Aleister...out of the few guys I've been with you're one of the best." Cori slurred, finishing off her beer and he laughed.

"You're drunk Cori."

"You may be right about that but it doesn't make what I said any less true!"

Aleister shook his head and stood up. "Come on, I think we'd better be heading back to the hotel."

"No not yet! I'm having too much fun." Cori stood up and swayed on her feet, Aleister catching her before she fell. "Whoa, nice catch!" She laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're really sexy you know that?"

"Alright Cori, time to go."

"Wait! Just wait a minute. I'm serious here! You're one of the sexiest men I've ever seen and…" Cori stopped talking and pressed her lips to his. Aleister quickly pulled away and grabbed her, lifting her up bridal style and carrying her out of the bar. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here and back to the hotel where I'm going to put you to bed before we do something I know you'll regret."

"Damn. You don't want me either...nobody does." Cori whispered, her head falling against his shoulder as she passed out.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: WARNING! There is a sex scene in this chapter so if that bothers you please just skip over that part. Otherwise please read and review. Thank you! **

Aleister reached Cori's hotel room and kicked his foot against the door. "Open up."

"What happened?" Cass asked once he opened the door and Aleister handed Cori over to him.

"She got drunk and passed out. I'll let you know now so you don't hear it from some asshole down the road. She kissed me tonight in the bar."

"And?"

"And I carried her drunk ass out of there and brought her here to you. That's all there was to it. How much do you know about her?" Aleister asked and Cass looked at him in confusion as he held Cori close to his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Cori is a different person when she's drunk. More sexual and…"

"I know what she likes and how to take care of her."

"Good. I'll get going then...tell her when she's sober to take a couple more days off." Aleister said and left the room.

Cass laid her on the bed and stretched out beside her. "Cori? Sweetheart?"

Cori groaned and her eyelids fluttered open. "Cass? Holy shit I must be really drunk." She started to close her eyes again but they flew open when she felt teeth sink into her neck. "Wha…"

"You're not passing out on me. Wake up." Cass growled, moving to cover her body with his. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. "Focus on me Cori."

Cori bucked against him and tried to pull her hands free. "Get off me Cass!"

"You sure you want me to do that?" Cass thrust his hips allowing her to feel how hard he was and he smiled when she moaned. "I don't really think you want me to get off of you."

"If you're going to fuck me then do it! Stop teasing me!"

"Oh but sweetheart it's so much fun to tease you." He pushed her shirt up, pulled the cup of her bra to the side and flicked his tongue over her nipple.

"Cass please!" Cori arched against him, still pulling at her hands. "I need to touch you!"

Cass chuckled and let go of her hands as her took her nipple between his teeth and tugged.

"Oh God Cass!"

He sat up on his knees and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor. "Sit up Cori." Cass instructed, taking her shirt and bra off once she did. "So beautiful." He growled, hissing when she leaned forward and nipped at his chest. Unable to take it anymore, he stood up and stripped his jeans and underwear off.

Cori watched him in fascination, her whole body aching for him. She stood up and took the rest of her clothes off. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get on the bed on your hands and knees." Cass told her, smiling when she quickly did as he instructed her to do. He climbed on the bed behind her, his hand caressing and squeezing her ass. "So fucking beautiful." Cass drew his hand back and brought it down with a resounding slap and he smiled when she cried out. "You like that sweetheart?"

"Yes! Cass please…"

"Please what? Tell me what you want sweetheart."

"I want you to fuck me!"

Cass took his dick in his hand, guiding himself to her pussy and he slowly slid inside her. "Ah, fuck Cori." He groaned, reaching up to grab a handful of her hair and he pulled her head back.

"Cass please fuck me!" She pushed her ass back towards him, taking more of him inside her and she cried out when his hand connected with her ass again.

Cass' head dropped back and he growled as she tightened her inner muscles around him. He let go of her hair and grabbed both of her hips in a tight grip and began to move in and out of her as hard and fast as he possibly could.

"Oh God yes! Cass...oh fuck!" An orgasm ripped through her body as she screamed his name.

Cass felt himself getting close, his fingers digging into her hips hard enough that he knew she was going to end up with bruises but that was the last thing on his mind. He pulled almost all the way out and slammed his hips forward one last time as he exploded inside her.

The feel of him coming sent Cori over the edge again and she screamed his name, her fingers clawing at the sheets.

Cass slipped out of her, both of them groaning and he collapsed on the bed beside her. "You okay sweetheart?"

"Never been better." Cori mumbled, snuggling against him and she was soon fast asleep.

"Holy shit." Enzo stared down at his phone and began to chuckle. "Baby you ain't gonna believe this one."

"What is it?"

"I forgot to turn my phone back on last night and I just found a text from Cass...he went to Florida. Apparently he's had enough of a break from Cori." He handed her his phone so she could read the text.

"Well, I'll be damned. Looks like I owe you twenty bucks because I figured she'd be the one to cave first."

"I tried to tell ya but you wouldn't listen. Instead of money...how about I take it out in trade?" Enzo climbed on the bed, pushed her on her back and covered her body with his.

"What did you have in mind Papi?" Rae asked, moaning when he took her earlobe between his teeth and tugged on it.

"I'm sure I can think of a few things and we can come to some sort of agreement."

Cori slowly opened her eyes and groaned as the sun was shining brightly in the room. "Fuck." She quickly closed her eyes again, her head feeling as though it was going to split in two.

"Here take these." Aleister said, chuckling when she jumped in surprise. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Cori slowly opened her eyes to see him standing there shirtless, holding aspirin and a glass of water. "Thank you." She sat up and winced when pain shot through both hips. "The fuck?" Cori looked at her hips and gasped when she saw finger shaped bruises. "Oh God. Oh no…"

"Cori what's wrong? Here, take these will you?"

She snatched the pills and water from him, swallowing them down with the water. "What the hell have I done?"

"Cori…"

"I can't believe I was so fucking drunk that I…oh God!"

"Cori…"

She dropped her head in her hands, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't believe I…" Cori was cut off by the door opening and she looked up, her eyes widening in shock. "Oh God!" She jumped up and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"What's wrong with her?" Cass asked, setting coffee cups and takeout bags on the desk.

"I don't think she remembers a damn thing from last night. She woke up, saw me and the bruises you left and she freaked the fuck out."

"Shit." He walked over and tried to open the bathroom door but it was locked. "Sweetheart open the door."

"No! Cass I can't! Please just…"

"Cori those bruises on your hips are from me sweetheart!"

The door slowly opened and Cori peeked out. "What?"

"Come out here so we can talk about it."

"Is Aleister still out there?"

Cass looked around and saw that the other man had left the room. "No, he's gone. Now come on out here and I'll explain everything."

Cori opened the door all the way and launched herself into his arms. "Oh God Cass! I thought I had…"

"Shh, it's okay I know. You didn't though sweetheart. Every bruise is from me."

She pulled back and looked at him in confusion. "What are you even doing here? What the hell did we do last night? I feel like I can barely walk."

Cass chuckled and lifted her up. He carried her over to the bed and sat down with her on his lap. "I called your cellphone last night to tell you that I was here but you were in the bathroom at the bar. Aleister answered the phone and told me that you were already well on your way to being drunk so I told him I'd be waiting here for you."

"Why though? I thought you wanted us to be on a break."

"Yeah, well...that was a mistake on my part which I came here to correct. I thought about it and realized that if things were switched around I would've reacted the same way you did...probably worse. Being apart isn't going to solve anything because we need to stand together against your brother if we ever want him to realize that being with each other is what we want."

"True."

Cass took a deep breath and sighed. "There's something I want to say to you and it might sound crazy but I need to say it before I lose my nerve."

"What is it?"

"I know we haven't been together all that long but...I love you Cori."

"Oh Cass…" Cori whispered, smiling as she kissed him. "I love you too. There's something I have to know though."

"What's that?"

Cori winced and shifted on his lap. "What the hell did we do last night?"

Cass chuckled and laid her down on the bed. "How about instead of telling you I just show you?"

"Works for me."


	33. Chapter 33

Enzo's phone chimed and he picked it up, laughing at what he saw. "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. Baby it looks like your brother has himself a new girlfriend."

"What? Who?"

"My ex." Enzo held out his phone for Rae to look at the picture he just got. "Cass sent me that. Apparently Cori found it on one of the dirtsheets."

Rae shook her head and as she looked up from Enzo's phone she saw her brother and Enzo's ex walking into the hotel. "Speak of the devil."

Luke spotted Enzo and Rae watching him and Liv. "Perfect...come on." He took her hand and led her over to where his sister was. "Hello Rae. Amore you remember Liv don't you?"

"I try not to but yeah, I remember her."

"Hey!" Liv exclaimed, glaring at Enzo.

"Luke what kind of shit are you trying to pull now?"

"Nothing sis. Liv and I are just having fun…I mean Amore you remember how much fun she can be, right?"

"Luke!"

"Relax baby, let him talk his game. Gallows you're more than welcome to have her...I got the woman I love so why should I care?"

Rae's eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling open. She couldn't believe what Enzo had just said and it sent her into full blown panic. Without even thinking, she turned and ran.

Luke watched Rae as she disappeared into the elevator and he laughed. "You sure about that Amore? Looks to me like Rae doesn't want anything to do with your dumbass either. Come on Liv, I'm done with this piece of shit."

Enzo watched them walk back out of the hotel and then he turned to check on Rae, surprised to find that she was no longer standing there. "What the hell?"

Rae couldn't believe it, she had to have heard him wrong or maybe he had just said that to get Luke even more pissed off. Either way, she wasn't taking any chances. After quickly throwing her things into her suitcase, she took off out of the room before Enzo showed up.

Enzo opened the door to the hotel room he shared with Rae and stepped inside. "Baby? You here?" He called out, stopping when he noticed the closet open and her suitcase missing. "Oh hell." Enzo pulled out his cellphone and dialed Cori's number.

"Hello?"

"Cori it's Enzo...have you heard from Rae?"

"Not today. Why?"

Enzo sighed and sat down on the bed. "Her brother and I just got into a little argument in the lobby. Just as Cass sent me that picture you found of him and Liv they walked into the hotel. We argued and when they left the hotel again I turned around to check on her but she wasn't standin' there anymore. I just got back to our room and all of her stuff is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"I mean she packed up her stuff and left."

"Shit! What the hell did you two say?" Cori demanded to know and Enzo flinched at the anger in her voice.

"He was tryin' to rub it in my face about him bein' with Liv. I told him he was more than welcome to have her because I already got the woman I love."

"Oh Enzo, you didn't!"

"What? What did I do wrong?" He asked, completely confused.

"Think about what you said to Luke."

"All I said was…" Enzo began but he stopped when he realized what Cori meant. "Shit!"

"You understand now?"

"I said that I love her. Shit! I hadn't even told her yet and I blurted it out to him. I scared her didn't I?"

"Most likely and that's why she took off. Rae was just getting comfortable with being with you and being able to trust someone again. The thought of someone loving her or her loving someone is so scary to her after everything she's been through."

Enzo groaned and fell back on the bed. "What do I do now? I have no clue where to even start looking for her since you and Cass are in Florida."

"Cass is leaving today so he'll be back there tonight. As far as Rae goes...just give her time. Once she's had time to think things through she'll show up and then you can talk to her."

"I guess that's really the only choice I have right now. Thanks for talkin' to me Cori."

"No problem Enzo and don't worry...everything will be fine."

Enzo hung up the phone, sat up and looked around the room. He had heard what Cori said but he couldn't help worrying that he had screwed up things with Rae for good.

Rae stood outside the hotel room and knocked on the door, waiting for the person inside to answer.

Cori opened the door and sighed. "I had a feeling it was you. Come on in."

"I'm sorry Cori...I just needed to get away."

"I know. Enzo called me already and told me what happened. You shouldn't have run off like that." Cori told her and Rae shrugged.

"I panicked! He said that he loves me and I don't know if he even meant it or if he just said it to piss Luke off but either way...I just couldn't deal with it."

"He meant it Rae. You should've stayed and talked it out with him."

"I couldn't!" Rae sat down on the bed and covered her face with her hands.

"Why not? Rae he's not Tama...he wouldn't say something like that if he didn't really feel that way."

"I know he's not Tama!"

"Then what is it hun?" Cori sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug.

"I just...I don't know if I can do this again."

"Do what?" Cori asked but then she realized what the problem was. "Oh honey...you're in love with him aren't you?"

"What? No of course I'm not! All I meant was that I'm not sure I can get into another serious relationship."

Cori shook her head and smiled. "Hun I love you and all but I'm going to have to call you out on that line of bullshit."

"It's not bullshit! I'm not in love with him Cori."

"Yes you are. I can see it in your eyes and I've seen it everytime you look at him. I know the thought of it scares the hell out of you but you've got to face it sooner or later."

"I don't know if I can!" Rae shouted, getting up and pacing back and forth.

"So you admit that you are in love with him then?"

"I...oh who the hell am I kidding? Yeah, I'm in love with him."


	34. Chapter 34

"Are we still going out for drinks tonight?" Aleister asked as he and Cori headed towards the locker rooms to take showers.

"I don't know...Rae's here in Florida and I don't think it'd be fair to leave her at the hotel by herself."

"Bring her along then. Did she and Enzo have some kind of fight or something?"

"Not exactly. It's a long story but I'll ask her if she wants to go with us."

"Good. Give me a call once you find out."

Rae stared down at her phone, fingers ready to dial Enzo's number but she chickened out and laid her phone back on the nightstand. The door opened and Cori walked in. "Hey. How did it go?"

"Good. He's going to be bringing in Sara tomorrow to help me train too. Aleister and I had plans to go out and have drinks tonight...do you want to come with us?"

"Do you think he'd mind?"

"It was his idea actually."

"Sure, I'll go."

Cori nodded and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed Aleister's number and put it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Cori. Rae said she'd go with us tonight."

"Great. I asked Kassius Ohno to go too so things would be even. That alright?"

Cori looked at Rae who nodded her approval. "That's fine with us."

"Okay. See you in a couple of hours."

Cass watched Enzo as he picked up another weight to add to the bar. "How you holding up man?"

"I'd be a lot better if I could talk to her and find out what's goin' on in her head right now."

"So call her and ask."

"Nah. I'm gonna give her time to sort things out. She'll call me when she's ready...I hope."

Cori and Rae had just put the finishing touches on their makeup when there was a knock on the door. "I got it." Cori walked over and opened the door, smiling at Aleister and Kassius. "Hi. Come on in."

Aleister walked in and smiled at Rae. "Hey, how are you? You look beautiful."

Rae smiled and gave him a quick hug. "I've been better but oh well. You look pretty good yourself."

"Thank you. Ladies this is Kassius Ohno...Kassius this is Rae Gallows and that's Cori Anderson."

"A pleasure to meet both of you. Aleister has told me a lot about you two." He said, shaking both their hands.

"Aleister you didn't…"

"Of course I told him about it Cori. I'm a guy...who wouldn't want to brag about something like that?"

Cori looked at Rae and both women rolled their eyes. "Let's go before I kick your ass."

Enzo checked his phone again, sighing when he saw that he hadn't missed any calls or texts.

"Zo just call her man." Cass stated sitting down and handing him a beer.

"If she hasn't called by tomorrow night I will. I just…" His phone chimed and he quickly picked it up only to see a message from a number he didn't recognize. He opened the text but all he saw was the link for a website. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know." Enzo clicked on the link and watched as a dirtsheet popped up.

'WWE Stars Unwind at Local Bar: NXT stars Aleister Black and Kassius Ohno spotted out with valets of Enzo Amore and Big Cass.'

Enzo stared at the headline and the picture attached to it his mind unwilling to register what he was seeing. "Fuck!"

"Zo what is it bro?"

"Here, take a look for yourself. I'm outta here." Enzo forwarded him the link then got up and left the bar.

Cass checked his phone and winced. "Shit." He pulled up Cori's number, hoping like hell she would answer.

"Hey babe! What's up?"

"Did you know there's a picture of you and Rae with Ohno and Black on one of the dirtsheets?"

"What? Shit!"

"You're all hugged up with Black and Rae looks deep in conversation with Ohno."

"Babe you know there's nothing…"

Cass chuckled and shook his head. "Sweetheart I'm not worried about you and Black...I know how cuddly you get when you're drinking. My problem is Rae and Ohno...somebody sent the link for the picture to Zo."

"Who did that?"

"I don't know. We were sitting here in a bar having a drink of our own when he got the message. He sent it to me and took off."

"Dammit! I'll let Rae know. There's nothing going on between her and Kassius. She admitted to me that she's in love with Enzo but she's afraid."

"She doesn't need to be afraid. Zo loves her and he'd never do anything to hurt her." Cass got up and walked out of the bar, heading back towards the hotel.

"I know that and so does she but it still scares her. Let me get off here and tell her what's going on. I'll call you back in a little while."

"Okay sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too."

Enzo walked into his room and sat down on the bed. He just couldn't believe it, the day that he admitted out loud to anyone that he loved Rae she took off and was pictured with another man that same night. It just didn't make any sense.

Cori walked back into the bar and made her way to the table where Rae, Aleister and Kassius sat. "Rae I need to talk to you right now."

Rae looked away from Kassius to glance at Cori. "Why? What's going on?"

"Just come on and I'll tell you."

"Fine, fine. Excuse me guys." Rae got up and followed Cori out of the bar. "Alright we're alone...what's going on?"

"Somebody took a picture of the four of us and now it's on the dirtsheets."

"So? What's the big deal about that? It's not like there's anything going on."

"Rae...somebody sent the link for the picture to Enzo. Cass called me and said that he's really upset about it." Cori explained and Rae gasped.

"What?! Shit! Who would do something like that?"

"If I had to guess I'd say it was probably your brother. What are you going to do?"

"Go on back inside. I'm going to call him...that is if he'll even answer."

Cori nodded and gave her a hug. "Come back in and let me know what's going on."

"I will." Rae waited until Cori went inside then she pulled out her cellphone and called Enzo. It rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. "Dammit!"

Enzo picked up his phone to see who was calling and he frowned when he saw it was Rae. Not wanting to talk to her, he let it go to voicemail. He waited to see if she left a message and when she did, he decided to listen to it.

"Enzo it's Rae. I know you saw the picture from tonight but you've got to believe me…there's nothing to it! Cori and Aleister were going out for drinks tonight and asked me to go. Aleister invited Kassius to even things out. That's all there is to it I swear! I would never do something like that to you especially since I know how it feels. Enzo please...trust me and believe that I'm telling you the truth. Call me when you get this please!"

The urge to call her right back was so strong he could barely stand it but he ignored it and just went to bed.


	35. Chapter 35

The next morning Rae woke up with a hangover, her eyes red and puffy from crying all night. She had waited for hours on Enzo to call her back but he never did and she eventually fell asleep.

Cori walked out of the bathroom and smiled sadly at Rae. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"To quote Whistler from the Blade movies...I feel like hammered horse shit. Do you have any aspirin?"

"Yeah, I'll get it for you." Cori disappeared back in the bathroom and came back out with a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. "Here you go."

Rae accepted the pills graciously and swallowed them down with the water. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Did he call you back last night?"

"No. I waited up for hours hoping he would but he never did."

"Oh hun...I'm so sorry."

Rae sat the empty glass on the nightstand and shook her head. "Nothing for you to apologize for. If I ever find out for sure that Luke is the one who did this...I know I've said it before in anger but this time I really will kill him."

Enzo went through his workout routine on autopilot. He had been up most of the night debating on whether or not to call Rae and eventually he had fallen into a fitful sleep.

"Zo? You okay man?" Cass asked, stopping what he was doing to look at his friend in concern.

"No Cass, I'm not. She called me last night after I got back to my room."

"And?"

"And I didn't answer it. She left a voicemail though sayin' that there was nothin' to the picture. Said that Black had invited Ohno to go along with them to even things out."

"Do you believe her?" Cass questioned and Enzo shrugged.

"I don't know man...I wanna believe her but it's hard to do."

"Are you going to call her?"

"I haven't really decided yet."

Cori and Rae had just finished getting dressed when someone knocked on the door. She walked over and opened it, smiling when she saw Aleister and Kassius. "Hey. Come on in."

They walked in and Aleister gave both Cori and Rae a kiss on the cheek. "We came to see if you ladies would like to have lunch with us."

"I don't think that's such a good idea for me but Cori you go on if you want to."

"Are you sure?" Cori asked and Rae nodded.

"Why don't you two go ahead and go? I'll stay here and keep Rae company. We can order room service for lunch."

"That's not…"

"That's a great idea." Cori spoke up, ignoring the fact that Rae was giving her a dirty look. "We'll be back in a while." She said, practically dragging Aleister from the room.

Rae sighed and sat down on the bed. "Kassius it's not really necessary for you to stay with me."

"I know it's not but Cori told Aleister and I about what happened last night and I figured you might want some company."

"I really wish she wouldn't have told you guys."

"Rae it's alright, really. Dirtsheets are always making a big deal out of everything." Kassius said, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah but my boyfriend saw it and we were already going through something difficult. Now he won't answer my calls or call me back when I leave him messages."

"I knew Enzo back when he was still in NXT and he's a good guy. Just give him time to think things over and I'm sure he'll call you."

"Yeah but what if he doesn't? I went through a really bad relationship and had completely swore off men but Enzo wouldn't give up trying to get with me after we met. I didn't want a damn thing to do with him for quite a while but now...God, I love that man but I'm afraid I've lost him." Tears poured down her face and Kassius pulled her into a hug.

"Don't cry. I'm sure everything will work out."

Rae sniffed and pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. "I hope you're right, I really do."

"It will, I'm sure of it. Do you want to order something for lunch?"

"I don't think I could eat anything right now but you go ahead and get something for yourself. Oh and Kassius? Thanks for lending me a shoulder to cry on."

"Anytime Rae."

Enzo hung up the phone, a determined look in his eyes. He couldn't get a flight to Florida until the next day but that didn't matter because one way or another he was going to get there and he wasn't coming back without Rae by his side.


	36. Chapter 36

Enzo stood outside Cori's hotel room and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"I wonder who that is." Cori said, looking over at Rae who shrugged.

"Probably Aleister or Kassius."

Cori got off the bed and went over to open the door, shocked by who was standing there.

"She here?"

Rae immediately recognized Enzo's voice and gasped. "Oh my God…"

"Yeah, she's…"

"Good. You need to leave for a while. Cass is downstairs in the lobby waiting for you."

Rae watched as Cori grabbed her purse and left the room as Enzo walked inside. She wanted nothing more than to jump up and run to him but she stayed where she was.

"Come here to me." Enzo instructed, gazing intently at Rae as she quickly stood up and walked over to him. "You're goin' to listen to me right now and not say a word until I'm done. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Very good. I have no doubt about that photo last night...I know you wouldn't do anything like that but I will admit that at first I was hurt and I was pissed. That's not the big issue here. What is the biggest issue is though is you runnin' off like you did. I realize I didn't pick the best moment for you to find out I love you but that was no reason for you to run off. Do you know how that made me feel?"

"Enzo I…"

"I'm not done yet woman! I know you were hurt by that asshole and I know you are afraid to love someone and to let that someone love you but dammit...I'm not him! I've done nothin' since we started datin', hell since we met to even make you think I could be anything like him. Rae I love you...I'm in love with you but I won't pay for his mistakes."

Rae took a deep breath and looked at him. "Can I talk now?"

"Yes."

"I know I was wrong for running out on you. I should've stayed and talked to you but I panicked. I also know that you're not Tama. You've been the sweetest, the most caring man this whole time...even when I gave you every reason in the world not to be. Hearing you say that you love me scared the hell out of me but it's not for the reason you think Enzo because Tama doesn't even factor into it." Rae said and he looked at her in confusion.

"If it's not because of him then what is it?"

"It's because of me. It's because of the fact that I love you too. It's because of the fact that I've fallen so in love with you so fast that it scares the living hell out of me."

Enzo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Come here baby." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too Enzo."

Cori stepped off the elevator and smiled when she saw Cass. "Hey babe. Want to tell me who that was that came to my room?"

"What do you mean?" Cass asked, kissing her.

"I mean that was Enzo but then again...it wasn't." Cori said but then she finally realized the difference. "Oh, wait…never mind."

"Sweetheart you're not making any sense."

"You remember when you came here and showed your Dominant side?"

"Yeah...even if you still don't remember it all." Cass replied, chuckling when she stuck her tongue out.

"I remember enough now...the rest will come back to me too. Anyway I believe I just met Enzo's Dominant side."

Enzo stepped back and looked Rae up and down. "Take your clothes off for me baby." He instructed as he began to strip his own clothes off. Rae stood and watched him for a moment before finally stripping her own clothes off. "Get on the bed."

"Yes Papi." Rae laid down on the bed on her back, watching as Enzo climbed on the bed and covered her body with his.

"You're mine ain't you baby? Every inch of your gorgeous body belongs to me." He bit her neck and ran his hands over her breasts. "These are mine." Enzo dropped his head and captured a nipple between his teeth, tugging on it.

Rae cried out, her back arching off the bed. "Enzo…"

He growled and gave her other breast the same treatment before kissing his way down her stomach until he rested between her thighs. "This pussy is mine too." Enzo flicked his tongue over her clit.

"Oh God! Papi please…"

"I'm not done yet baby don't worry. You're goin' to come for me now and I wanna hear you scream for me." He slid two fingers inside her as he sucked on her clit.

Rae cried out, her back bowing off the bed as her fingers tangled in his hair. "Enzo…" She felt close to coming already and when he pushed a third finger inside of her it sent her over the edge and she came screaming his name.

"That's my girl." Enzo growled, sliding up her body and kissing her.

"Enzo?"

"Yeah baby?"

"There's something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Can I?" Rae asked, smiling shyly at him and he chuckled.

"What is it?"

"Lay on your back please."

"Okay." He moved beside her and laid on his back, watching as she moved between his legs. "Baby what…" Enzo seemed to lose the ability to speak when she ran her tongue up and down his left hip pit. "Shit!"

His hips bucked off the bed and Rae quickly pulled back, looking at him in shock. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Shit, do that again baby."

Rae giggled and did the same thing on the right side. "You like that Papi?"

"Damn right I do." Enzo hooked his arms under hers and slid her up until she was on top of him. "Anytime you want to do that you feel free to." He flipped her over so that he was on top and he settled himself between her legs. Enzo hooked his arm under her left leg and lifted it up, using his right hand to guide his dick inside her. "God baby, you're so damn tight!"

Rae lifted her hips off the bed and moaned. "Fuck me Papi." Enzo growled and began to thrust in and out of her. "Oh God yes! Harder!" He pulled out and she looked at him in surprise. "What…"

"Turn over." He instructed and Rae quickly turned to her hands and knees. "Yeah, that's it baby." Enzo pushed back inside her pussy, grabbing her left hip tightly as he reached up with his other hand and grabbed a handful of her hair. He held on to both as he began to thrust in and out of her again, harder with every stroke.

Rae felt on the verge of coming and she pushed her hips back to match his every thrust. "Oh fuck Papi...so close!"

"Come for baby, give it to me." Enzo said, groaning when he felt her coming as she shouted his name. "Oh fuck yeah…" He pulled almost all the way out and thrust back in one last time, growling as he came deep inside her. He slowly pulled out and collapsed on the bed beside her, pulling her close. "I love you baby."

Rae smiled, laid her head on his chest and threw her arm across his stomach. "I love you too Enzo."

"Think it's safe to go in?" Cori asked and Cass chuckled. "I don't hear anything." She opened the door and peeked inside, smiling when she saw Enzo and Rae curled up together sleeping peacefully. "They're asleep. I'll sneak in and wake Rae up.

"No need. Somebody needs to teach you that whispering is supposed to be done quietly." Rae mumbled, lifting her head to look at Cori. "Give us a minute to get dressed."

"You got it." Cori closed the door and smiled. "Thank God everything is back to normal."

"I don't wanna get up." Enzo groaned, pulling her closer and Rae laughed.

"We have to otherwise they're going to come in here and I'm not really keen on the idea of Cass seeing me without clothes or Cori seeing you without them either."

Enzo's eyes flew open and he sat up. "Get dressed…ain't nobody seein' what's mine."

Rae laughed as she got out of bed and began to get dressed. "That goes for you too."

"Good thing I booked a room for a couple of days. By the way...you need to make sure you're packed when I leave because I bought two tickets. You're goin' with me."

"I wasn't planning on staying here Enzo...I'm done running. I'm not going to lie and say that being in love with you doesn't scare the hell out of me after everything I've been through but I'm doing my best to put that all in the past."

Enzo pulled his shirt on then walked over to Rae and wrapped his arms around her. "That's all I can ask you to do. I love you and I'm gonna prove to you that all men aren't like him."

Rae smiled and kissed him. "You already have."

The door opened and Cori peeked inside. "Is it safe to come in?"

"Yeah, come on in." Rae replied, smiling as Cori and Cass walked in along with Aleister and Kassius. She felt Enzo's body tense up and she leaned up, pressing her mouth close to his ear. "Don't. Just remember who I belong to Papi and whose name I was screaming earlier because I do."

Enzo groaned and ran a hand over her ass, squeezing tightly. "Thanks baby."

"Anytime Papi."

"We're all going out to get something to eat. You guys want to come with us?" Cori asked and Rae looked at Enzo.

"Up to you."

"Sure. Why not?" He glanced over at Kassius long enough to catch the other man's eye then he turned back to Rae and kissed her roughly. "Love you baby."

"I love you too. Put your leg down now...you've sufficiently marked your territory." She whispered and he chuckled.

"That obvious huh?"

"Oh yeah but don't worry...I kinda like the fact that you're territorial."

"You two going to come up for air long enough for us to go eat?" Cori questioned and Rae blushed.

"Fuck you."

"Been there done that hun, remember?" Cori replied, laughing and Rae automatically glanced at Aleister who had a big smile on his face.

"Smug jackass."

"Can you blame me?"

"Cori I swear we're surrounded by egotistical maniacs."

"It ain't ego if you back it up baby." Enzo growled, nipping at her earlobe.

"Stop that!"

He pulled back and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry. Please don't do that right now."

"Better."

"Enzo put him away for a while and let's go." Cori spoke up and Rae laughed.

"What's so funny baby?"

"Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought." Enzo said, the six of them walking out of the hotel room to go to dinner.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** I apologize for the delay in updating this story but the muse has refused to cooperate until recently so please enjoy this chapter and review to let me know what you think!

Cass walked into the locker room and saw Cori and Rae sitting on the couch talking to each other. "Have you seen Zo?"

"He told Cori and I that he was going to look for you a half hour ago. You haven't seen him?"

"No. I better go look for him."

"I'll go with you." Rae stood up and walked over to Cass.

"I'll go with you too." Cori said and the three of them walked out of the locker room.

"Cass!" A voice shouted behind them and they turned to see two referees running towards them. "You need to come with us right now!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's Enzo. He's hurt." One of the refs stated and Rae's heart dropped.

"Show us now!" Cass growled, the five of them racing down the hall. "Where?!"

"There!" The referee pointed around the corner and Rae gasped when she saw Enzo laying on his stomach, unconscious.

"Enzo!" Rae ran over and dropped to her knees beside him. "Enzo? Honey? Oh God Cass...he's out cold!"

"Go get some help!" Cass shouted at the refs as he knelt down on Enzo's other side. "Zo? Come on man, wake up."

"Cass grab Rae and move...the EMT's are coming."

Cass stood up and grabbed Rae's arm, pulling her gently to her feet and out of the way. "Come on Rae, let's give them room to work."

"You don't think my brother did this do you?" Rae asked and Cass shook his head.

"I don't think so...not this time anyway but I will find out who did Rae, I promise you that."

"What happened here?" Kurt Angle questioned, walking up just as the EMT's were able to wake Enzo up and they helped him sit up against a equipment trunk.

"Enzo?" Rae whispered, smiling a little when he held a hand out to her.

"Come here baby." Enzo groaned in pain and grabbed the back of his head as Rae knelt down next to him. He leaned against her as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"What happened Zo?"

"I got jumped...woke up to these guys askin' me questions."

"Can you stand Enzo?" One of the EMT's asked and he pulled away from Rae.

"Yeah, I think so." He started to get up, the EMT's and Cass all helping him to his feet. Rae followed closely behind as they helped Enzo to the trainers room.

"Cass I'll find out what happened and who did this." Kurt said and he backed up a step as Cass leaned down and got right in his face.

"You had better find out who did this before I do." Cass took Cori by the hand and led her towards the trainers room.

Rae stood back out of the way and watched closely as they looked Enzo over. "Is he okay?" She asked, turning to glance at Cass and Cori when they walked in.

"Doesn't look like he has a concussion or anything but you might want to keep a close eye on him anyway."

"Don't worry doc if I know her I won't be far out of her sight for long." Enzo said, winking at her and she smiled.

"Damn right you won't be."

"Gonna have to let me get changed ya know?"

"Cori and Cass can wait in the hall for that...hate to tell you this but you don't have anything I haven't seen multiple times." Rae stated and he chuckled.

"Multiple times and up close and personal. Am I good to go doc?"

"Yeah just take it easy and if you get to feeling any worse I'd recommend going to the hospital and getting checked out."

Cori watched Cass out of the corner of her eye and she could tell that the attack on Enzo was still weighing heavily on his mind. "Babe are you so sure that it wasn't Luke?"

"I'm almost positive sweetheart. You know as well as I do that he and your brother haven't been quiet about their attacks on us lately so why would they start now? No...this was someone else but I'll be damned if I know who it is."

"You'll figure it out, I know you will."

Cass smiled and sat down next to her on the bed. He pulled her into his lap and gave her a kiss. "I hope you're right cause when I find out who it was? I'm gonna make what they did to Zo look like child's play."

Enzo chuckled as he watched Rae move around the room. "Baby you've done enough to take care of me now come over here and sit down cause I wanna hold you."

Rae stopped putting his gear away and turned to look at him. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You're hurt and…"

"Get over here and sit down baby."

She sighed and walked over to sit next to him on the bed. "You going all Papi on me right now is really not fair. Enzo you scared the hell out of me!"

"I know baby and I'm sorry. How did you guys find me anyway?"

"Cass came to the locker room looking for you and I knew there was something wrong because you had already left to look for him. He said he was going to look for you so Cori and I went with him but before we got very far two referees were there telling Cass to come with them because you were hurt. We got down the hall and you were laying there unconscious." Rae explained and he sighed.

"I wish I could remember what the hell happened!"

"You don't remember anything other than someone jumping you from behind? No noises or anything?"

"Not a damn thing and it pisses me off." He said, pulling her to his side.

"Don't worry about it...we'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Soon I hope. Let's get some sleep though cause I'm tired as hell."

"Should you go to sleep right now?" Rae asked and he smiled.

"You heard the doc say it ain't a concussion so I'll be alright to sleep baby don't worry." He laid down and pulled her down with him, his arm draped over her waist. "I love you baby."

"I love you too Papi. Get some sleep now." Rae replied and she laid there wide awake long after he had fallen asleep.


	38. Chapter 38

The next morning Rae woke up long before Enzo, the dream she had still fresh in her mind. She made sure he was asleep and slipped out of the bed and she quickly got dressed before quietly leaving the room.

"Rae?" She jumped in surprise and turned to see Cass walking towards her. "Is Zo alright? Where are you going?"

"He's still sleeping. I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a walk." Rae was surprised how easily the lie came out.

"He's doing alright though?"

"Naturally he's in pain but he was able to sleep through the night mostly. Give him a couple of hours to sleep some more then you can check on him for yourself." Rae said and Cass nodded. "Tell Cori I'll call her later." She walked away before he had the chance to say anything else. Once outside the hotel she pulled out her cellphone. ' _Hate to bother you so early but do you have time to talk?'_ While waiting for an answer she decided to listen to music on her phone and the lyrics of the song that began to play took her breath away.

 _Is it just our bodies? Are we both losing our minds?  
Is the only reason you're holding me tonight  
'Cause we're scared to be lonely?  
Do we need somebody just to feel like we're alright?_

 _Is the only reason you're holding me tonight_

' _Cause we're scared to be lonely?_

The words of the song described exactly how she was feeling and she could feel tears forming in her eyes. When her phone chimed with a text she jumped in surprise, quickly switching over and she smiled when she saw who it was from.

' _You could never be a bother. Everything alright? I saw what happened to Enzo last night. Is he okay?'_

' _He's in pain which is to be expected but thankfully it's nothing serious. That's not what I want to talk to you about though...is it alright if I give you a call?'_ Her phone immediately rang and she smiled again. "Hello?"

" _Talk to me. What's wrong?"_

"Shit...I'm not even sure where to begin."

Enzo leaned against the wall of the hotel just outside the entrance and listened to Rae's conversation. He had woken up the minute she got out of bed and he could tell by her body language that something was wrong so he decided to follow her. Luckily he had run into Cass in the hallway who gave him an idea of where Rae was going.

" _Take your time and start wherever you want. I've got plenty of time to listen."_

"I...I'm having doubts again and I don't know what to do." Finally admitting it out loud made her feel a thousand pounds lighter.

Enzo felt his heart break and he fought the urge to go to her and make her talk to him instead of whoever she was talking to on the phone.

" _Doubts? About you and Enzo you mean?"_

"Yes."

" _What about exactly? Does last night have anything to do with it?"_

"Some yes but...I just feel like things are moving way too damn fast. I never wanted a relationship again after Tama and now I'm in a more serious relationship than I was with him. I feel like he and I jumped into this thing because we were lonely and it was easy...at least _I_ feel that way." Rae explained, her mind racing in so many different directions she was beginning to get a headache.

Finally he heard enough and made his way back into the hotel. Enzo was sick and tired of being compared to Tama. He did everything he possibly could to prove to her that he was nothing like the bastard. Apparently she still didn't believe it and was having doubts still so he decided to make things easier for her.

" _So what are you going to do?"_

"That's just it...I don't know! I'm so damned confused! I feel like my mind and my heart are being pulled in a million different directions."

" _Well, I have an idea. I don't know if you'd want to do it or not."_

Rae sighed and leaned against the wall. "At this point in time I'm willing to listen to any ideas so what do you got?"

" _Pack a bag and get away for a few days to clear your head and figure things out. I've got plenty of room so you could come stay with me if you want."_

"That sounds like a good idea actually. Are you sure I wouldn't be in the way or anything? I hate to think I'd just be a burden to you."

" _It's perfectly fine. You wouldn't be in the way of anything and you could never be a burden Rae."_

She smiled and sighed in relief. "You'll never know how much I appreciate this. I'm going to get off here and get back to my room. Hopefully Enzo is still asleep and I can get a bag packed, leave him a note and get out of there before he wakes up."

" _Alright. Give me a call once you find out when you'll be getting here and I'll pick you up at the airport."_

"Okay, I will and thanks again." Rae hung up the phone and made her way back into the hotel. She wasn't sure what she would do or say if Enzo was awake but that was something she'd just have to figure out if and when it happened.

Walking into the room, Rae could instantly tell something was wrong when she didn't see Enzo laying in bed. She looked around and caught sight of the fact that the closet was open and all of Enzo's things were gone. "Oh no." She spotted a piece of paper on his pillow and walked over to pick it up. On it he had written a quote and nothing more.

"Love is weakest when there is more doubt than trust."


	39. Chapter 39

"Dammit! Where the hell is he?" Cass hung up his phone and tossed it on the bed.

"He's still not answering?"

"No! Have you had any luck with Rae?"

Cori shook her head and tossed her phone next to his. "No, she's not answering either. Do you think they went off together somewhere?"

"Not without letting one or both of us know. It just doesn't make any sense! When was the last time you heard from Rae?"

"Monday night when we got back here. You talked to her Tuesday morning though didn't you?" Cori asked but before he could answer her cellphone rang.

"Who is it?"

She glanced at her phone and sighed. "It's Enzo. Hello?"

" _Do me a favor and tell Cass to stop callin' me. I don't wanna talk to anyone."_

"Why? Where the hell are you and Rae?"

" _I'm at home. I have no clue where she is."_ Enzo said and Cori's eyes widened in surprise.

"What do you mean you don't know where Rae is?!"

" _Just what I said! Look Cori...just tell Cass to stop fuckin' callin' me!"_

Cori pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it in shock. "He hung up on me. What the _hell_ is going on?"

"What do you mean? What did he say?"

"He wanted me to tell you to stop calling him. He said that he's at home but he has no clue where Rae is. What the hell is going on Cass?"

"I have no idea sweetheart, I really don't but I think we need to find out."

Cori stood up and walked over to the closet and pulled out their suitcases. "You book the flight while I pack. We're going to see Enzo and find out exactly what the fuck happened."

Kassius Ohno walked through the airport, smiling when he finally spotted her. "Rae!" She turned towards him and he grunted in surprise when she launched herself into his arms and started to cry. "Hey, hey come on now. What's wrong?"

"He left me Kassius!"

"What do you mean he _left_ you? Did you two fight about your coming here or something?" He took her luggage and led her out of the airport to his car.

"No! He was gone when I got back to the room and he had taken everything with him. The only thing he left was a note on his pillow with some quote about doubts and trust. I've tried calling him and texting him multiple times but have gotten no answer."

"Doubts and trust? That's awfully random unless...do you think he could've overheard you talking to me on the phone?"

"I thought of that but I don't know how. When I left the room he was asleep."

Kassius pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards his house. "Are you sure he was asleep?"

"Yeah. At least I _think_ he was. I know I was planning on coming here and I know that I was wrong in not wanting to tell him about it but...I do love him Kassius. I didn't want to lose him and especially not like this."

"I know sweetie. Just give him a day or two to cool off and then try calling him again. That'll also give you a chance to get things sorted out in your head too."

Enzo tried his best to ignore the knocking on his front door but whoever it was didn't seem to be giving up. He growled and got up, throwing the door open. " _What_?!"

"About fucking time you answer the door!" Cori snapped as she pushed her way into the house and Cass followed behind her.

"What the hell are you two doin' here?"

"We could ask you the same thing! Now what the hell is going on with you and Rae?"

"Not that it's any of your business what happens in my relationship but if you must know...I left her." Enzo stated, sitting back down on the couch.

"What do you mean _you left her_?! What the fuck happened?"

"Tuesday mornin' she got out of bed real early and I guess she thought I was asleep or somethin' because she was real quiet as she got dressed and left. I could tell by the way she was actin' that somethin' was botherin' her so I decided to follow her to see where she went."

"She _was_ acting kind of funny now that I think about it. I just figured it had something to do with Zo getting attacked though." Cass spoke up, sitting down in a recliner and pulling Cori into his lap.

"So what happened when you followed her?"

"I found her outside the hotel and before I could go talk to her she got a phone call."

"From who?"

"That much I don't know but she started tellin' them that she was havin' doubts about bein' with me again. Said things were movin' too fast and that she never wanted another relationship after that asshole she was with but now she was in one more serious than the one she had with him. Worst of all she said she felt like we jumped into a relationship together because we were lonely and it was easy." Enzo said and Cori sighed as she got up and went over to give him a hug.

"I'm so sorry Enzo!"

"Nothin' for you to be sorry about Cori. I just got tired of bein' compared to that asshole and payin' for his mistakes so I left before she could kick my ass to the curb."


	40. Chapter 40

Cori groaned as her phone ringing woke her up. "Hello?"

" _Mind telling me why Rae is here training with Kassius and you're there?"_ Aleister's voice flooded the line and Cori's eyes shot open as she quickly sat up.

"You want to repeat that Aleister?" Cori asked, poking Cass in the ribs until he woke up and then she put the phone on speaker.

" _I asked you why Rae is here training with Kassius and you're not here. What's going on Cori?"_

"Rae has been missing since Tuesday morning and no one knew where she was. She's actually training with him?"

" _I don't think she's seriously training with him. He's just showing her a few basic things and they're joking around more than anything. What happened with her and Amore?"_ Aleister questioned and Cori sighed.

"It's a long story but I'm going to be on the first flight there to deal with her so I'll explain everything to you when I see you."

" _Alright, see you soon then."_

Cori hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. "Damn her!"

"There's been something between her and Ohno this whole time hasn't there?"

"No! Rae's not like that Cass! Kassius was a friend to her when we were both in Florida so she probably felt she could trust him now."

"Are you sure about that?" Cass asked and Cori glared at him. "Okay, okay I believe you. Are you really going there?"

"Yeah, I'm going and I'm going to straighten her ass out. She's got to quit running from him like this or she's going to end up losing him for good."

"I think she already has."

"No, not yet. Enzo really loves her and he's hurting right now but I don't believe he's given up on her yet. At least I hope not."

"Did you have a good time today?" Kassius asked as he drove down the street towards his house.

"Yeah. I'm sore as hell but I want to thank you for convincing me to do it cause it helped clear my head a little. Aleister I appreciate your help too."

"No problem Rae, glad I could help."

"Oh shit...what the hell is _she_ doing here?" Rae spotted Cori sitting on the front porch and her friend did not look happy at all. "How the hell did she find me?"

"Raelynn Gallows what the hell were you thinking?!" Cori demanded to know the minute Rae stepped out of the vehicle.

"Cori ease up."

"You stay out of this Kassius, I'll deal with you later! Rae what the fuck is going through your head? You need to make up your mind! Either you love Enzo and want to be with him or you don't! You can't keep running away from your problems! Enzo is _not_ Tama!"

"I know he's not Tama Cori!"

"Then stop treating him like he is! If you have doubts or fears about anything instead of running _talk_ to him! This hot and cold bullshit of yours is tearing the man apart and he doesn't deserve that."

Kassius walked around the car and stepped in front of Rae. "You need to back off Cori."

"Don't you dare try to fucking tell me what to do! You encouraging her to run away from him was bullshit too Kassius. You had no right sticking your nose in where it didn't belong."

"I was trying to be a friend to her!"

"You sure that's all you had in mind Kassius or were you hoping she'd jump into your bed?!"

Rae gasped in shock and stepped around Kassius. "That's enough Cori. I get your being pissed at me and I know I deserve it but don't take it out on Kassius!"

"You're damn right you deserve it! Enzo has done nothing to...ahh! Aleister what the hell? Put me down!"

"Not a chance." Aleister said, grunting when she hit him in the back. "Stop hitting me Cori. You need to calm your ass down."

Cori glared at him once he sat her back down on her feet. "That wasn't necessary."

"Yes it was. I know you're pissed at Rae and I get it...believe me I do but you need to calm down before one of you says something you'll regret."

"You're right but dammit she just pisses me off so bad sometimes."

Aleister chuckled and shook his head. "You're a little firecracker you know that?"

"Yeah and trust me...you don't want to see me when I explode."

"I've already seen you explode multiple times. Remember?" He asked, smirking and Cori rolled her eyes.

"Multiple times is exaggerating a bit don't you think?"

"No and if you weren't with Cass I'd gladly show you again just how many times I can make you explode." He said and Cori shivered.

"That's not fair Aleister."

"Never claimed to play fair now did I?"

"Asshole." Cori hissed as Rae walked over to them.

"Aleister could you give Cori and I a minute? I need to talk to her."

"Of course."

Rae watched as he walked away then she turned back to Cori. "How did you find me?"

"Aleister called and wanted to know why you were here training but I wasn't. You realize that Enzo heard you on the phone with Kassius right?"

"How? He was still in bed asleep when I left the room."

"Apparently he wasn't asleep and he was watching you. Said he could tell something was wrong by the way you were acting so he decided to follow you and that's when he overheard you." Cori explained and Rae sighed.

"I never meant for that to happen but dammit...I was so confused!"

"Rae do you love him?"

"Of course I love him!"

"Then let go of the past and stop running from him every time you get a little scared. I know you've been through some shitty times but Enzo has never done anything to hurt you and you need to stop making him pay for what Tama did to you." Cori stated and she nodded.

"You're right, I know you are but I just freak out sometimes when my feelings for him overwhelm me and my first thought is always to run. What am I going to do? What if he won't forgive me this time?"

"The only thing you can do is try. If he's not willing to listen or he's reluctant to forgive you and being with him is what you really want then you need to fight for him. Show him that you're sorry, prove to him that you're done running."

"I will. I'll go book a flight back right now."

"He's not on the road, he's home. That's how I was able to get here so easily after Aleister called me because Cass and I were with him so you should be able to get a quick flight there or you could leave now and just drive."

"I didn't rent a car after Kassius picked me up."

"So take my rental. I'll call the agency and get it straightened out then I'll call Cass and tell him to go to his place so you two can be alone to talk."

Rae smiled and gave Cori a hug. "Thanks. I'll go in and get packed now."

Enzo relaxed in a lounge chair next to the pool and he slowly opened his eyes when a shadow fell over him. "What are _you_ doing here Rae?"

"Can we talk?"


	41. Chapter 41

Enzo carefully stood up, his body still a little sore and he made his way towards the house. "There's nothin' to talk about. You said all that you needed to say when you ran away yet again. I'm done Rae. I've tried like hell to stand by you...to love you and to prove to you that I ain't him but you keep pushin' me away. You've got what you want now...I give up."

"That's not what I want!" Rae exclaimed, following him in the house. "Enzo please just listen to me!"

"Why? So you can tell me how much you want to be with me? How sorry you are and how much you love me? Yeah, you really showed me that when you ran off to a guy you knew I didn't like you bein' around in the first place!"

"Nothing happened between Kassius and I! Enzo you've got to believe me, please! I do love you and I know I fucked up by running again but I'm sorry...please don't give up on me." Tears streamed down her face as she walked up to him and placed her hand on his arm.

Enzo pulled away and shook his head. "Don't touch me Rae. I'm so sick of payin' for his mistakes! I love you so much but you've got serious issues you need to work out on your own cause apparently nothin' I do or say is helpin' you through them."

"That's not true! You've helped me through more than you'll ever know."

"That's for damn sure because you won't _talk_ to me and tell me what's goin' on in your head! Rae do you love me and want to be with me at all?"

"Yes! That's why I'm here!"

"Then get help. Talk to someone...work through your issues or we might as well say goodbye and part ways now because we'll never stand a chance of workin' out." He sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I shouldn't have said I gave up because I'll never stop lovin' you baby and I want nothin' more than for us to be together but like I said...you need to get some help before we can even think of that happenin'."

Rae buried her face in his chest and cried. "I'm so sorry. I'll get help...I'll do whatever you want me to Enzo."

"Don't do it just for me baby or it'll never work...do it for yourself too."

Rae took a deep breath and stood outside the office debating on whether to go in or not. She knew this was something she had to do but the idea of telling life story to a total stranger scared the hell out of her. Finally she walked in and walked up to the desk.

"Yes? How can I help you?" The receptionist asked, smiling.

"I have an appointment to see Dr. Peterson."

"Your name ma'am?"

"Raelynn Gallows." Rae said and she glanced around when the door to the office opened, her eyes widening in shock when Enzo stood there smiling at her.

"Here's some forms for you to fill out Miss Gallows and Dr. Peterson will be with you shortly."

"Oh. Umm...thank you." Rae took the clipboard and walked over to Enzo. "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I was?"

"I stopped by your room to see you and you weren't there so I called Cori and she told me where you were."

"I really wish you wouldn't have came here Enzo." Rae sat down and began to fill out the paperwork.

"Why?"

"Because I'm nervous enough about this as it is."

"Miss Gallows?" Rae turned and saw a woman standing there. "You can come back now." Rae stood up and followed the woman. "I'm Dr. Peterson. How are you doing today?" They walked into an office and she motioned to a chair. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you." Rae sat down and looked around the office, relieved to see that it felt warm and inviting instead of clinical.

"What can I do for you Miss Gallows?"

"Well, I…"

"Please relax and feel free to talk about anything. I know talking to someone like me can be intimidating but I'm only here to help you and to listen. Nothing you say will ever leave this office so why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself. Who was that young man with you?" She asked and Rae couldn't help but smile.

"His name is Enzo...we've been dating for a while. We _were_ dating anyway."

"Something changed between you two?"

"More like something _didn't_ change. I was in a relationship before him and a lot of things happened that have made it really difficult for me to trust anyone including him."

"Things like what?"

Rae took a deep breath and she could feel the urge to run away starting but she fought it off. "Things I've never even told my brother or my best friend."

"I know how difficult this must be for you so please just take your time and begin whenever you feel like you're ready."

"Tama...that's my ex was very good at pretending in front of other people. We met when he and my brother worked together and we started dating not long after we met. Things were good in the beginning but then I started to notice he'd say stuff about how I looked or what I ate. At first he acted like he was joking around but then he even quit that."

"So he was verbally and mentally abusive. What about physically?" Dr. Peterson asked and Rae couldn't help but laugh.

"No. My brother is a professional wrestler and very protective of me...had he seen one hint of a mark on me he would've killed Tama and Tama knew that."

"Your brother doesn't know about the other abuse though?"

"No one does. I'm too ashamed to tell anyone. I suppose that's why I keep running from Enzo every time things get intense between us. I believed Tama for so long that when Enzo starts to really make me feel good about myself I panic and run because I'm afraid that soon he'll start seeing me the way Tama did." Rae explained, reaching for a tissue as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm tired of running. I love Enzo so much and he's never gave me a reason to doubt that he loves me but I…"

"You feel the need to punish yourself by doubting him at his word therefore hurting him by running."

"Yes. How do I make it stop? I hate hurting him...it kills me to know I cause him pain like that but I don't know what to do."

"You may not like my answer Miss Gallows because it's going to require you doing something that's going to be extremely painful for you." She said and Rae looked at her in confusion. "If you really love him and want things to work out between the two of you...then you're going to have to be honest with him and tell him everything."

"I don't know if I can. What if I tell him and he thinks I'm weak and decides he doesn't want someone like that? I can't lose him."

"From the little that you've told me about him I don't think that is very likely to happen but that's going to have to be a chance you're going to have to decide is worth taking or not." She looked at the clock and smiled. "I'm afraid our time is up for today but my advice to you is to talk to him and tell him everything."

Rae stood up and shook her hand. "Thank you doctor." She walked out to the lobby and smiled when she saw Enzo still sitting there waiting on her.

"How did it go baby?" He asked, standing up and pulling her into a hug.

"Alright I suppose. Enzo...can we go somewhere and talk?"

"Of course. Come on and we'll go somewhere for lunch." He took her by the hand and led her out of the office as she said a silent prayer that she was about to do the right thing.


End file.
